Greece extends border wall to keep fleeing Afghans out of Europe
- A 40km fence and new surveillance system have been put in place ahead of a potential wave of asylum seekers
- The Taliban takeover has fuelled EU fears of a repeat of the 2015 refugee crisis
Greece said on Friday it had completed a 40km fence on its border with Turkey and a new surveillance system was in place to stop possible asylum seekers from trying to reach Europe following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
Events in Afghanistan have fuelled fears in the European Union of a repeat of the 2015 refugee crisis, when nearly a million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond crossed to Greece from Turkey before travelling north to wealthier states.
Greece was on the front line of that crisis and has said its border forces are on alert to make sure it does not become Europe’s gateway again.
The Afghanistan crisis had created “possibilities for migrant flows,” Citizens’ Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis said after visiting the region of Evros on Friday with the defence minister and the head of the armed forces.
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Thousands fleeing Afghanistan struggle to enter Kabul airport
“We cannot wait, passively, for the possible impact,” Chrisochoidis told reporters. “Our borders will remain safe and inviolable.”