In the wake of Germany’s decision to reintroduce controls at its external borders, the Hellenic Police (ELAS) is updating its plan for the protection of the land borders between Greece and Turkey on the Evros River.
The decision was taken not so much because the country is facing increased migratory pressure on the Evros, but to send a message of vigilance in a period of generalized instability.
“We are all here, the Armed Forces, the Hellenic Police and we are protecting the country’s borders and guaranteeing the security of Greece,” said Minister of Citizen Protection Michalis Chrysochoidis during his visit on Tuesday to the border station at Kastanies.
Sources have told Kathimerini that patrols at the land border in Evros will be increased by around 20%.
A high-ranking ELAS officer told Kathimerini that several groups of border guards who have been patrolling the mountainous areas of Evros regional unit in the past will henceforth be assigned to policing the riverside area, both in Orestiada and Alexandroupoli.
Commenting indirectly but clearly on Germany’s decision to unilaterally suspend the Schengen Treaty, Chrysochoidis said that “in Kastanies, where there is a legal entry point and passport controls are carried out, as provided for by the Treaty and the Migration Pact, our mission is being carried out without exception and I believe that all Europeans recognize this great effort that we are making.”
He also reiterated the decision of the ministry’s leadership to recruit an additional 150 border guards – 100 of them will be allocated to the prefecture of Rodopi and the remaining 50 to the regional unit of Kavala.
The newly recruited border guards will patrol the mountainous areas of Kavala and Komotini to limit the so-called “secondary flows” – i.e. the passage of migrants from Turkey to Bulgaria via Greece.
Meanwhile, the government is also mulling an expansion of the fence, with the present contract for the central Evros River nearing completion. According to reports, 4 more kilometers of the total 35 kilometers of the contract concerning the section of the borderline connecting Psathades and Didymoticho with Kornofolia in Soufli have not yet been constructed.
A well-informed source told Kathimerini that the government has decided to proceed with a new extension of the border fence while diplomatic contacts and processes are under way for the further extension of the project to be financed by both national and European funds.