Aim to complete fence extension by year’s end

The government expects to have completed the 140-kilometer fence on the Evros border by the end of 2023, according to Citizens’ Protection Minister Takis Theodorikakos.

Speaking to a Parliament committee on Thursday about the project to upgrade and repair the existing barrier and accompanying works along the Greek-Turkish border in Evros, he said that within the year, there will be developments on the issue of further financing for the project.

“The project starts with funding from national resources, but it is obvious that the European Union must show its solidarity in practice,’ he stressed.

Theodorikakos reiterated that “it is a timeless and non-negotiable priority of our government to guard Greece’s borders” and announced that in January and February, more than 7,600 illegal migrants have been deterred in Evros and that 118 traffickers were arrested.

“We are talking about the central months of winter, which are the most difficult to cross into Greece,” he noted.