Greece, two immigrants die drowned
And the government of Athens erects a 12 km wall

ATHENS – Two illegal immigrants from Turkey drowned in the Evros river in an attempt to enter Greek territory. This was announced by the Greek authorities cited by the ANA agency. The bodies of the two men have been recovered while an unprecedented wave of illegal immigrants is breaking down over Greece, just as the government of Athens has announced the construction of a 12-and-a-half-kilometer wall along the border with Turkey, which passes along Evros. The Greek president Karolos Papoulias defined the migration emergency as “a national problem” and “a European issue”, recalling that 80% of illegal immigrants going to Europe land in Greek territory.

The role of the UNHCR. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expresses concern when states propose restrictive measures for migrants on their territory, without at the same time giving concrete guarantees for those seeking international protection. In recent days, an opinion on the recent statement by the Greek minister regarding the construction of a 12-and-a-half-kilometer barrier along the border with Turkey in the Evros region has been repeatedly requested from UNHCR. Although each state has the right to control its borders, it is clear that among those crossing the Turkish border to enter the European Union there is a significant number of people fleeing violence and persecution. And so vital to establish border control mechanisms that take into account the needs of protection of people.

The barriers do not resolve. The building of barriers rarely solves the problems that underlie migratory pressure, including for those seeking protection. As in the case of measures that block arrivals indiscriminately, there is a risk that asylum seekers resort to even more dangerous ways in order to save themselves. This is why today many of them are at the mercy of people traffickers. In Greece, the problem is compounded by the fact that, despite the efforts made to reform it, the asylum system is still not functioning. UNHCR is working with government partners to establish an adequate procedure for examining asylum applications. Many thousands of asylum seekers in Greece today live in a kind of limbo.

Meanwhile in Turkey 10 thousand are waiting. The government continues to implement a geographical limitation to the 1951 Convention by taking responsibility for guaranteeing asylum only to refugees arriving from European countries. Many of the asylum seekers in Turkey come instead from Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. Asylum applications from non-European citizens in Turkey are reviewed by UNHCR. Those who obtain refugee status have the authorization to remain in the territory waiting to be resettled in a third country. But the number of places made available for resettlement is clearly lower than the needs and at the moment there are about 10 thousand refugees waiting to be resettled from Turkey. UNHCR encourages other EU countries to show solidarity with Turkey by providing quotas for resettlement.
(07 January 2011)