Last week, the Greek Coast Guard rescued 731 refugees — including many children — in less than 24 hours.

On Monday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that his country will deploy navy vessels off the coast of Libya in an effort to deter boats carrying refugees from entering Greek waters.

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The ships will remain in international waters, without entering Libyan jurisdiction, as part of a joint operation with Libyan authorities and other European states.

Mitsotakis held a meeting Monday with Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas, during which he said he had instructed the defense minister and the leadership of the armed forces to send vessels to the area to “monitor” migratory flows.

The prime minister emphasized that the move is intended as a precautionary, preventive and deterrent measure, aimed at “sending the message that migrant traffickers will not decide who enters our country.”

“I believe it is a necessary measure under the current circumstances,” Mitsotakis added, without specifying how many ships would be sent. He also announced plans to raise the issue at the upcoming European Union leaders’ summit.

So far this year, Greece has seen a significant increase in the number of migrants arriving on its territory, particularly on the island of Crete, from the Libyan coast. Last week, the Greek Coast Guard rescued 731 refugees — including many children — in less than 24 hours. They were traveling in vessels that had departed from Libya and included people from Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Pakistan.

According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), about 5,700 migrants had arrived on Crete by mid-June, surpassing the 5,100 recorded during all of last year.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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