Greece won’t lower guard over holidays, defense minister says
Greece will remain on high alert on land and on the islands over the Easter holidays in case Turkey suddenly decides to escalate tensions, Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos said Tuesday.
He added that Athens is well aware that whenever Turkey has problems at home, it exports them to Greece, and also confirmed recent reports about shots being fired from the Turkish side of the Evros land border.
Panagiotopoulos stressed that the existing fence at the border is being expanded and strengthened.
His comments also came amid reports that migrants are moving from inland camps in Turkey to the coast facing Greece’s eastern Aegean islands.
“We are taking measures and sending navy ships to the islands to help the coast guard,” he said.
As for some Greek media reports that some of the migrants may be infected with Covid-19, he said, “There is a possibility that there are migrants with the coronavirus.”
