Refugee camp targeted by Turkey to close

The decision by the Migration and Asylum Ministry to proceed with the gradual closure of the Lavrio refugee camp due to objective criteria, namely the unsuitability of the site to continue hosting refugees, will also satisfy Turkey, which has constantly demanded its shutdown as it considers it a "training camp" for Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants.

This development, however, was initiated before the February 6 earthquakes in Turkey and the thaw in Greek-Turkish relations.

More specifically, in December 2022, the Municipality of Lavreotiki briefed the Migration Ministry on a notice highlighting the risk of building collapse in the event of a moderate earthquake. Part of the camp was built in the late 1940s.

It indeed hosted, to a significant extent, Kurdish refugees, some of whom the Turkish state treated as terrorists. 

The Municipality of...