In response to the large number of landings on its coasts, Greece has decided to suspend all the asylum questions of those who arrive in the country from North Africa.
This was announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis talking to the Parliament of Athens. “With legislation that will be presented tomorrow, Greece will suspend the examination of asylum applications, initially for three months, for those who arrive in Greece from North Africa by sea,” said the leader of new democracy.
Refatters scheduled
Mitsotakis also said he wanted to bring all the migrants who have illegally entered the country in Libya. “The Greek government sends a message: the transition to Greece is closed, and sends a message to all traffickers and all their potential customers who spend money is completely wasted,” he thundered.
According to estimates by the Greek government and humanitarian agencies, this year there are already over 7,300 migrants landed on the Greek southern islands, such as Crete and Gavdos, mainly coming from the northeastern Libya. In the same period of 2024 there were about 5 thousand. Migrants include people from Sudan, Egypt and Bangladesh. And just this morning (Wednesday 9 July), about 520 migrants were rescued off the coast of Gavdos and transferred to the mainland, reported the Greek Coast Guard.
Tension with Libya
Athens has strengthened surveillance by deploying two frigates near Libyan territorial waters and increasing the presence of the Coast Guard off Crete. The decision arrives in a complicated diplomatic context: yesterday the EU commissioner for internal affairs and ministers of Italy, Malta and Greece were declared “non -grateful person” on the eastern part of Libya, the area of the country controlled by the government of General Khalifa Haftar, leader of the Libyan national army (LNA), who denied them the entrance just before an official meeting on migratory flows.
“Our interviews with Libya, both with the internationally recognized government of Western Libya, and with that of Eastern Libya, continue”, added the premier, explaining that “the Greek armed forces are willing to collaborate with the Libyan authorities to prevent the departure of boats from the coasts” of the North African country.
