As the number of migrants journeying to the Greek island of Crete continues to rise, Athens is stepping up its efforts to garner European Union assistance for a prospective agreement with Egypt aimed at facilitating the return of irregular migrants from the North African nation. This initiative follows a recent surge in the arrival of Egyptian nationals attempting to enter Greece via the southern island.
Greek government estimates reveal that approximately 1,500 individuals have arrived by sea from Egypt to the small island of Gavdos, situated south of Crete, in the past three months alone. This influx reached a peak with a remarkable 300 arrivals over a single weekend, prompting urgent appeals for action.
Dimitris Kairidis, Greece’s Migration Minister, disclosed in an interview with the news channel Skai that he has raised the matter with various EU migration ministers and anticipates intervention from the European Commission in the coming weeks. The objective is to secure an agreement with Egypt, akin to the existing EU-Turkey deal, which would facilitate the repatriation of migrants to the North African country.
“We have made significant progress in the eastern front. We have successfully secured and controlled the borders at Evros, managed the flows in the South East Aegean, and even controlled the flows in the most challenging area, the North East Aegean,” Kairidis remarked, underscoring the government’s efforts to manage migratory movements. Nonetheless, he acknowledged that Crete poses a fresh challenge, depicting Greece as a pivotal junction for two immigration routes.
While the majority of recent arrivals on Crete are reportedly Egyptian men, a minority claim to be nationals of Bangladesh and Pakistan. Kairidis is set to lead a visit to the island in the forthcoming weeks to directly address the situation.
However, before any potential agreement with Egypt can be implemented, local observers and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have flagged the inadequate infrastructure on Crete to effectively handle and temporarily accommodate migrants. Entities such as Refugee Support in the Aegean (RSA) and Social Shelter – Immigrant Shelter of Chania have voiced persistent concerns regarding the absence of reception and identification facilities, as well as the inability for those eligible to lodge asylum claims.
Meanwhile, migrant arrivals on Crete have become a routine occurrence, with rescue operations frequently underway. On Monday alone, authorities responded to the arrival of 80-85 individuals in the Kale Limeni area, south of Heraklion, while two additional boats were sighted in the early hours of the same day and the preceding Sunday in the southern part of the Heraklion prefecture.
As Greece grapples with the surge of migrants to its southern shores, the call for EU support regarding a potential migration agreement with Egypt underscores the imperative of addressing this evolving crisis and devising sustainable solutions to manage irregular flows while upholding humanitarian principles.