Notis Mitarachi

"Today's meeting makes me optimistic that our Schengen admission process, which could not be completed at the end of last year, will be finalized at the beginning of the second half of this year." This was said by Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev after a meeting with Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Notis Mitarachi.

Greece insists on the immediate acceptance of Bulgaria and Romania into Schengen, which, according to Athens, is in the interest of the entire European Union. This was announced from Vienna by Minister of Migration Notis Mitarachi, who is on an official visit to the Austrian capital.

Turkish officials on Oct. 16 shot back at Greek allegations that Türkiye forced 92 naked migrants into Greece, calling it "fake news" and accusing Greece of the mistreatment.

Turkish Deputy Interior Minister has slammed Greek minister for his allegations about the country forcing 92 migrants to cross into Greece and stripping them naked before doing so.

"Since you could not find a single human rights case in Türkiye, you are trying to reveal the image of your persecution as if it happened in Türkiye," İsmail Çataklı said in a social media post.

Greek police said on Aug. 15 they had found a 38-strong group of migrants inside Greek territory, away from the Meriç River, known as the Evros in Greece, and about four kilometers (2.5 miles) south of where the group had been reported to be stranded.

Greece "will participate in efforts to support the Ukrainian people directly, with technical and humanitarian help toward Poland and other countries," Migration & Asylum Minister Notis Mitarachi asserted in an interview to Skai TV on Saturday.

Four children died and 22 others were rescued after a boat carrying irregular migrants sank off the coast of Chios, a Greek island located a couple of sea miles away from the Turkish mainland.

Greek officials announced that one person was still missing after the incident which was the latest in a string of similar tragedies that claimed the lives of migrants en route to Europe.

Europe has to create humanitarian corridors for refugees fleeing from Afghanistan in orther to avoid uncontrolled flows of illegal immigrants, Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said on Tuesday in an interview.

Turkey is a safe country for most asylum seekers now housed on Greek islands, Greece's migration ministry has said, as Athens seeks to speed up repatriations to its eastern neighbour.

According to a 2016 agreement between the European Union and Turkey, the latter should take back Syrian refugees from Greece if they do not face serious risks in Turkey.

Greece on June 7 announced that applications for asylum filed by individuals in Turkey will no longer be accepted. 

"Turkey is designated a safe country for asylum seekers from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Somalia," said a joint decision by the Greek Foreign Ministry as well as the Migration and Asylum Ministry.