Athens, Greece – Greek authorities reported a significant influx of over 450 migrants arriving on the Aegean Sea islands from Turkey in less than 48 hours. Among them, 51 individuals reached the upscale resort destination of Mykonos. This surge in arrivals coincides with improved summer sailing conditions, contributing to a steady rise in migration to Greece, an EU member country.
While Greece was historically the primary gateway to the European Union for individuals seeking better prospects in the prosperous bloc, Italy, its Mediterranean neighbor, has seen nearly seven times more arrivals in recent times. This notable trend prompted Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to engage in a discussion on immigration during a working dinner in Athens on Thursday. Both leaders expressed their consensus on the imperative need to strengthen border control measures across Europe and combat human smuggling networks.
Regarding the Mykonos incident, the Greek coast guard disclosed that a motor yacht carrying 42 men, eight women, and a child landed on the island on Wednesday but was intercepted hours later near the eastern Aegean island of Patmos. Three individuals on board the yacht were apprehended on suspicion of being associated with a migrant smuggling group operating from neighboring Turkey.
Further complicating the situation, 30 migrants, including six children, were discovered on the coast of Evia, an island in close proximity to the Greek mainland. Despite its relative distance from Turkey, Evia has witnessed a recent surge in migrant arrivals. These migrants reported being transported by a speedboat that subsequently returned to Turkish shores.
In total, between Wednesday morning and Thursday evening, 463 people were rescued or intercepted. This figure includes 185 migrants reported to have been rescued by the coast guard elsewhere in Greek waters.
Historically, smuggling operations had typically bypassed the shorter route from Turkey to eastern Aegean islands like Lesbos and Samos, opting instead for the longer journey around southern Greece to reach Italy. However, recent developments indicate a shift in this pattern, with migrants increasingly arriving on the eastern Greek islands.
Human rights organizations have consistently raised concerns over Greek authorities allegedly engaging in secret deportations of migrants back to Turkey, a claim that Athens vehemently denies. Additionally, Greece faced international criticism for its perceived failure to prevent a migrant shipwreck in June, which is believed to have resulted in significant loss of life.
Presently, dozens of migrants are arriving on, or being rescued off, the eastern Greek islands nearly every day. In separate incidents, the coast guard reported rescuing 76 individuals from disabled boats near Samos, 50, including 10 children, from an inflatable vessel near Symi, evacuating 47 people from two boats off Lesbos, and locating 24 migrants on the rocky coast of the islet of Oinousses.
United Nations data reveals that over 17,300 people have reached Greece, primarily by sea, thus far in 2023, compared to 19,000 for the entirety of 2022. In contrast, Italy has received nearly 113,000 migrants since January, with nearly 20,000 arriving in Spain during the same period. These numbers underscore the ongoing challenges posed by irregular migration across Europe.
