The official said that Frontex executive director Hans Leijtens wrote to a police officer representing Greece at the Frontex meeting requesting a response by July 10. The agency helps patrol the eastern border of Greece, which is a member of the EU.
In recent years, the center-right Greek government has increased patrolling of the eastern Aegean Sea, dramatically reducing the number of migrants from the Middle East and Africa crossing on small boats from Turkey.
But Athens has been accused of returning migrants who enter its waters to Turkish maritime jurisdiction without allowing them to apply for asylum. Greece has been denounced for giving similar treatment to migrants crossing the land border with Turkey.
Greece denies this and argues that its immigration policy is “strict but fair.”
The Greek coast guard has come under fire for its handling of the June 14 sinking of a ship carrying hundreds of migrants from Libya to Italy, which killed more than 500 people.
The European official familiar with the Frontex message spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the press.
The letter, dated Thursday, refers to alleged incidents on April 11 and 22 on the Aegean island of Lesbos, a major destination for migrants arriving from the nearby Turkish coast in small boats.
FUENTE: Associated Press
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