The number of refugees and illegal immigrants crossing into Greece from Turkey has spiked recently with over 9,000 people landing on the Greek islands in the eastern Aegean Sea the past month and the first half of September.
The scenes of boats landing on islands full of hundreds of refugees and illegal immigrants are reminiscent of the period when the refugee crisis was at its height in 2015, when thousands of people were crammed refugee shelters and camps, creating inhumane conditions.
The North Aegean islands are being overwhelmed by refugees and illegal migrants as mayors are constantly raising the alarm that measures need to be taken to combat the problem.
Over two thousand people crossed into the islands of the northern eastern Aegean in September. From September 1, to September 14 according to the most recent data from the North Aegean Police Directorate, 2,078 refugees and illegal immigrants passed through Lesvos, 589 to Chios and 802 to Samos.
In August there were 5,813 refugees and migrants in the northern Aegean islands: 3,866 in Lesvos, 685 in Chios and 1,262 in Samos.
Meanwhile, Berlin expressed its concern about the rising number of refugees, while sending clear warnings to Ankara to comply with refugee agreements following the flagrant statements made by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who threatened recently to release of 5.5 million immigrants to Europe.
German Minister of Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas told Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu that Turkey must adhere to the refugee agreements.
Speaking at a press conference, Maas expressed concern about recent developments and the increasing number of refugee and migrant crossings in the Aegean in recent months.
