In addition to increasing the length of the fence on the Greek-Turkish border, the Greek authorities are recruiting another 400 border guards this year, according to a statement by the Minister for the Protection of Citizens Takis Theodorikakos, “to better protect the borders of Greece.”
The Minister stated this after his meeting at the police department of the Ropodi district for security and migration. He added that about 250 of these border guards will take up their duties in February, and the remaining 150 in the coming months.
Greece “is not ready to accept any illegal migrant”, he stressed, and also called on Turkey “to stop the exploitation of migrants and respect the borders of Greece, which are also the borders of Europe.”
About 1,800 border guards are currently on active duty in the Evros region, Theodorikakos said, having prevented about 260,000 people from entering Greece illegally in 2022 alone. The Minister also said that in the recent past, the Greek police have arrested more than 1,400 smugglers involved in the transport of illegal immigrants across the Greek border.
Last week, the Ministry of Citizens’ Protection stated: “It is considered necessary and urgent to expand the existing containment barrier in Phase A of approximately 35 kilometers, in the area between the settlement of Psatades in Didymotiko and the Kornofolia area in Soufli, which constitutes the first part of a total length of 140 kilometers.”
This is the fifth extension and renewal of the barrier on the land border between the countries, which has a total length of more than 200 kilometers and runs mainly along the Epirus River, in swampy and difficult to control areas.