Member states of NATO

The European Union hopes Turkey will prevent as many migrants reaching Greece as last year but is readying "contingency" plans to shelter large numbers who may arrive but can no longer trek north toward Germany. 

Three lawmakers of Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn were ejected from a parliamentary committee briefing on Feb. 17 after insulting the defence minister and the head of the army, officials said.

EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has told Romania's PM that Brussels might end monitoring on Romania if the country continues to mark the progress it has been showing over the past years.

An estimated 83,201 migrants and refugees have arrived in Europe between 1 January and 11 February, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced on Friday.

Some 77,303 of those people, or 92% arrived on the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea from Turkey, IOM said in a news release.

NATO Defense Ministers on Thursday ratified the agency’s involvement in the interception of refugee flows and human trafficking in the Aegean, following Germany, Greece and Turkey’s request.

A total of 908 tourism facilities are for sale in Turkey's Aegean coastline amid the diplomatic crisis with Russia and security concerns, a Republican People's Party (CHP) deputy has said. 

There is no official statement issued by the Ministry of Defense in order to announce the decisions taken at today’s NATO meeting.

However, ANA-MPA news agency citing a government source reported that Greece welcomed  NATO’s involvement in dealing with refugee and migration flows as long as the country’s sovereignty is respected.

At least 39 people, including five children, drowned off Turkey's western coast on Jan. 30, the Turkish Coast Guard said, in the latest tragedy involving migrants in the region.

A patrol was able to save 62 refugees, while one Turkish citizen was detained for his alleged role in organizing the trip.

Turkey has introduced, as of January 08, 2016, visa requirements for Syrians entering the country by air or sea.

The measure, supposedly aimed at stemming the flow of migrants, follows an agreement with the EU to help address the migrant crisis that has caught the region in the past years, the last summer being particularly intense.

Turkey's English-language Hürriyet Daily News has published a piece quoting Turkish officials who praise Bulgaria-Turkey relations and bilateral exchange in tourism, culture, and even investment.

"While Turkey is experiencing problems with all of it neighbors, for now and God-willing, the springtime continues in the relations between us and our neighbor Bulgaria," the text begins.