Türkiye: Greece continuing its inhumane behaviour towards refugees

Türkiye’s Defence Minister Hulusi Akar has criticised Greece for continuing with its provocative, maximalist and expansionist actions, along with its inhumane behaviour towards refugees.

"For years, the world ignored the fact that Greece has been carrying out inhumane actions against innocent people. But, with the latest Frontex incident, Greece was caught in the act and finally the EU started to realise what Greece has actually been doing," Akar said on Saturday in Mersin.

"Since Greece was caught red-handed, it has been creating an artificial agenda against Türkiye to try to distract the world from focusing on its crimes,” he added.

Human rights advocates and leading media outlets have frequently reported illegal pushbacks and other rights breaches by Greek authorities violating EU and international law.

In 2021, the European Parliament published its own report into allegations that Frontex was involved in so-called pushbacks, including in the Aegean Sea between EU member Greece and Türkiye.

READ MORE: EU border agency head 'steps down' after illegal pushback row

What is Frontex?

Founded in 2005, Frontex is an agency of the European Union tasked with managing the bloc's external land and sea borders.

It has been accused of involvement in illegal pushbacks of migrants and refugees at the bloc's external borders, including in Greece, Croatia, and Romania.

Pushbacks violate the EU's obligations under international humanitarian law, which prohibits returning people to where their lives would be at risk.

The agency has come under scrutiny from rights groups, along with several institutions and legal bodies.

It is currently subject to more than ten investigations by the European Parliament, the European Ombudsman and the EU’s anti-fraud watchdog (OLAF).

READ MORE: What is Frontex?