Greece starts deportations to Turkey

Unpublished
ANKARA - The first boat carrying migrants being deported from Greece has arrived in Turkey as part of an EU plan aimed at easing mass migration to Europe. Scores of migrants boarded ferries on the Greek island of Lesbos and arrived in Dikili, western Turkey. Frontex, the EU's border agency, told the BBC that most of the 136 people who left Lesbos on Monday were Pakistanis. Meanwhile, the first group of 16 Syrian migrants has arrived in Germany from Turkey, officials say. Under the deal, for each Syrian migrant returned to Turkey, the EU is due to take in another Syrian who has made a legitimate request. However, Greek authorities said the first deportees were those who had not applied for asylum, and included citizens from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Morocco. And Turkey's EU Affairs Minister Volkan Bozkir said there were no Syrians among the first group of migrants sent from Greece. Another ferry carrying migrants to Turkey is also due to leave the Greek island of Chios on Monday. The returns were carried out calmly, despite a small protest at the gate of Lesbos port, where activists shouted 'No to deportations' and 'EU shame on you', the BBC's Sarah Rainsford at the scene said.(FA)

Banners

Videos