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Greece has strengthened its military presence on the border amid Turkish-Greek tensions. However, Greece said the move was aimed at curbing the influx of immigrants from Turkey to Europe.
Athens has expressed its doubts about the European Union (EU) sanctions on Turkey, in line with the expectations of its country.
Jurgos Kaumausakos said Turkey could use migrants as a tactic to exert pressure and avoid EU sanctions. The dispute between Turkey and Greece is on the main agenda of the European Council meeting to be held on September 24-25. Countries like France and Greece are pressuring the agency to impose sanctions on Turkey.
Millions of refugees have taken refuge in Turkey after the Syrian civil war. Many of these refugees try to enter other European countries through the Turkish-Greek border. Turkey has vowed to block refugees from entering Europe under the Ankara agreement with the EU.
However, when the European Union sided with Greece in the Greek-Turkish conflict, the situation marked a change in Turkey’s position. As a result, Greece has intensified its military presence at the border to cope with the influx of refugees bound for Europe.
Turkey has started military exercises in northern Cyprus amid growing tensions with Greece. In the current situation, therefore, it is acquiring additional importance. The exercise, which began on Sunday, will continue until next Thursday.
On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned: “Greece must understand the language of politics and diplomacy, or it will have to go through a painful experience.” The people of Turkey are prepared for any situation. Al Jazeera and Deutsche Welle
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