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Turkey moves migrants from Greek border amid virus pandemic
[ABC] Turkish authorities have evacuated thousands of migrants who had been waiting at the border with Greece hoping to make their way into Europe, as a precaution amid the coronavirus pandemic, Turkey's interior minister said Friday.Thousands of migrants had massed at a border crossing with European Union-member Greece after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced last month that his country would no longer prevent refugees and other migrants wanting to travel to EU countries. Violent clashes erupted between the migrants and Greek border authorities trying to push them back. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told private NTV television that some 5,800 migrants waiting at the border crossing in Edirne province were moved away from the border area overnight and taken to migration centers in nine provinces. Soylu warned, however, that the move did not amount to a change in policy and that the migrants would be free to return once the pandemic is over. "When this epidemic is over we would not prevent whoever wants to leave," he said. Posted by: Frank G 2020-03-28 |
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