There will probably not be any floating barriers to prevent people from crossing from Turkey to Lesbos. The Greek coast guard has rated the plastic barriers as useless, reported the Athens newspaper „Kathimerini“ today, citing coast guard circles in Piraeus.
The installation would create a hazard for shipping. In addition, it could serve as a kind of “guide” for the smugglers and people could cling to these barriers. Then the Greek coast guard would be forced to rescue them and bring them to Greece, according to coast guard officers.
Athens has put tight surveillance measures in place along the entire border with Turkey since March. They are a consequence of the policies of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In March, he declared the border with Greece and thus the EU to be open. Thousands of people then made their way west. The Greek security forces prevented conversions at the time.
Athens also controls the sea borders with Turkey with strong units of the coast guard. Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis repeatedly says that the government in Athens is obliged by the constitution to protect the borders of the country and the EU also in the sea: „We cannot be an open field without borders.“ Human rights activists criticize this procedure as a „pushback“ (Rejection).
