Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos said NATO vessels set to start patrolling in the eastern Aegean will return third country nationals trying to illegally land on Greek territory back to Turkey, regardless of whether they are intercepted in Greek or Turkish territorial waters.
Kammenos made the comment in response to a tabled question by Dimitris Kremastinos, a PASOK MP who represents the Dodecanese islands.
The looming NATO patrol aims to curb the smuggling of Mideast war refugees and irregular migrants – hailing from various third world countries – from Turkey to Greece. The issue has emerged as the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe, with repercussions felt in numerous countries from south to north, particularly Greece.
Kammenos said an agreement was finalized this week for the NATO operation, while he added that the Dodecanese islands will be included in the patrols.
