So far, eighteen people have been rescued alive, whose nationality has not been disclosed. According to the coast guard of the Greek island of Samos, the occupants of the boat notified the rescue teams through 112 because the raft could not reach the coast. Since last morning, a Frontex boat and a helicopter have been working on the high seas to locate the four people who, according to witnesses, would have jumped into the sea to try to swim to the coast.
The proximity of the island to the Turkish coast means that the arrival of immigrants is constant in this period of the year. Last Friday, a Greek citizen was arrested for illegally transporting 25 migrants from Turkey to the coast of the island of Samos.
The shipwreck had hours before the opening of the second Border Management Conference that is being held in Athens between today, February 23 and tomorrow, February 24, and in which ministers and deputy ministers from several member states and senior officials from Frontex and Europol participate. . On the Spanish side, the Deputy Director General of International Relations, Immigration and Aliens of the Ministry of the Interior will attend.
During two days, the participants will exchange ideas on measures, tools and policies to face the future challenges in the management of the external borders of the European Union.
Borders between Greece and Turkey
After the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the Greek authorities fear a new migratory wave of Syrians affected by the earthquake. The new round of “seismic diplomacy” Started with the visit to Turkey after the devastating earthquake of the Greek foreign minister, Nikos Dendias could improve bilateral relations in terms of border management and immigration. The Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, during his visit to Greece on Tuesday, asked the Turkish and Greek authorities to resolve their differences through diplomatic channels.
For its part, the Council of Europe stated a few weeks ago that it is “a European problem that must have a European solution” and that it will support Greece in strengthening its borders and in its fight against the mafias.
