AEGEAN SEA

The European Commission will give Turks "conditional approval" to travel to the Schengen zone without visas, the BBC has reported, quoting "sources."

The British broadcaster said on its website that "the move is part of a deal in which Turkey is taking back migrants who have crossed over the Aegean Sea to Greece."

Greek Defence Minister Panos Kmmenos sent a clear message to Turkey concerning its repeated provocations in the Aegean Sea and Greek air space during his visit on the navy frigate ‘Adrias’. Accompanied by Greek PM Alexis Tsipras, who exchanged festive greetings with the ship’s officers and crew, Kammenos stressed the Greek armed forces were ready to defend every inch of the country.

‘Protothema.gr’ has released the video of the engagement between the Greek gunboat ‘Akteoros’ and a Turkish patrol boat in the Aegean Sea. Earlier on Good Friday, a Turkish patrol boat threatened to arrest the crew of Greek fishing boat ‘Agios Dimitrios’ claiming it was in Turkish waters.

Following tighter controls in the Aegean Sea by the combined efforts of patrol ships from NATO, Greece and Turkey after the activation of the EU-Turkey refugee agreement, refugees are choosing a different route to reach central Europe. The refugees and migrants have chosen an alternative route via Bulgaria to move towards the continent, despite greater dangers.

The number of migrants and refugees crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey into Europe is falling significantly but people smugglers can rapidly change routes and authorities must not reduce their security efforts prematurely, the head of NATO said on April 21, praising Turkey's efforts to break the business model of traffickers.

The friends of Turkey and the other countries most affected by the Syrian migrant have been abandoned in attempting to combat the crisis, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu said April 19. 

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will pay a two-day visit to Turkey on April 20-21, with a view to discussing preparations for the Warsaw Summit to be held in July, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has announced.

John Behrakis, Alkis Konstantinidis and Alexander Avramidis, the three Greek Reuters photographers who won the Pulitzer prize in the category for ‘Breaking News’, managed to convey the ordeal and the personal stories of the refugees crossing the Aegean Sea in search of a safer and better life for them and their families.

Turkey continued its provocations towards Greece, Turkish fighter jets violated Greek airspace over the Aegean Sea 3 times, and infringed in the Athens FIR 26 times, Monday. Six Turkish fighters flew over the central and eastern parts of the Aegean Sea that resulted in 2 dogfights after Greek jets scrambled to confront them.

The first Cem-Papandreu International Peace Award was given to businessmen ?ar?k Tara and Theodoros Papalexopoulos, and the Greek-Turkish Forum for being pioneers and "opening innovative ways of communication between Greece and Turkey."