Sir, – We wish to respond to your article "Illegal deportations of Syrian refugees by Greek border police" (World News, November 12th). Greece is a major gateway into the European Union, receiving almost 90 per cent of all illegal migrants from Africa and the Middle East. Greece is not the final destination of illegal immigrants, but the entrance point and transit country to the rest of the European Union.
Given its geographical position at the southeastern-most part of the European continent and EU, Greece bears alone the burden of guarding not only national borders, but also EU external borders.
The civil war in Syria caused a significant shift of Syrian refugees arriving from the sea borders between Greece and Turkey. Greece protects its borders – which are also the borders of the European Union – but at the same time ensures conditions for the reception of those fleeing Syria with respect to human dignity. The operational activities of the Greek border police are co-ordinated by Frontex – the European Union Agency – and at the same time closely monitored by human rights groups, so as to guarantee treatment of refugees in accordance with humanitarian standards. Since April 2013 a police order is in effect – an order acknowledged by the UN Refugee Agency as a very positive step – according to which “no Syrian is detained, but only a few days in order to undertake his nationality identification. There is a six-month suspension of return decisions, which is renewed until the situation in Syria is back to normal”. Despite isolated allegations and serious financial challenges, Greece is struggling to ensure Syrian refugees have unhindered access to Greek territory, safety and international protection.
Nevertheless, the migrant crisis is deteriorating and has often turned to human tragedy, with more recently the deaths of 12 illegal migrants – including four children off the Greek coast of Lefkada island.
Such tragic incidents confirm the need to immediately implement EU initiatives to deal with illegal immigration and human trafficking. The EU has to explore concrete ways of expressing solidarity, notably with a view to sharing the burden and protection responsibilities currently assumed by Mediterranean countries, such as Greece. For years Greece has been dealing with waves of illegal immigration but this is not only a Greek issue any more. There has to be a comprehensive European response. – Yours, etc,
VIVI GARGOULA,
Press Counsellor,
Embassy of Greece,
Upper Pembroke Street,
Dublin 2.