- Title: Turkish coastguard stops 239 migrants attempting to cross into Greece
- Date: 26th August 2019
- Summary: NEAR CANAKKALE, TURKEY (AUGUST 26, 2019) (REUTERS) COAST GUARD PATROL BOAT AT SEA MIGRANTS MOVING FROM PATROL BOAT TO COAST GUARD BOAT MIGRANTS ON PATROL BOAT'S DECK MIGRANTS MOVING TO BOAT BOAT SAILING TO SHORE MIGRANTS IN CABIN OF BOAT MIGRANTS LEAVING BOAT
- Embargoed: 9th September 2019 16:15
- Keywords: Turkey Greece Lesbos coast guard migrants
- Location: CANAKKALE, TURKEY
- City: CANAKKALE, TURKEY
- Country: Turkey
- Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001ATUW4EF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Turkish coast guard intercepted boats carrying around 239 migrants as they attempted to reach the Greek Island of Lesbos on Monday (August 26).
Coast guard units carried out five operations in western province of Canakkale, authorities said, adding the migrants were sent to a repatriation centre.
With the EU's eastern, ex-communist states refusing to host any of the new arrivals, the bloc has increasingly turned to tightening its borders and asylum laws, turning people away or paying countries like Turkey to stop them reaching Europe.
Numbers of migrants taking the perilous journey has declined sharply since 2015 after Turkey, in exchange for three billion euros ($3.3 billion) in European Union aid and a promise to ease visa restrictions for Turks, began to exert more control on migrants trying to cross to the EU via its territory.
Yet many still attempt the trip by sea and Turkey remains one of the main launch points.
(Production: Omer Berberoglu, Yusuf Gezer) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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