You are here

  • Home
  • Greece wants Turkish crackdown on migrant smugglers

Greece wants Turkish crackdown on migrant smugglers

Greece wants Turkish crackdown on migrant smugglers
Migrants disembark a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel after being rescued at sea, on the island of Chios, Greece, October 26, 2021. (Reuters)
Short Url

https://arab.news/wxehe

Updated 24 October 2024
AFP
Follow

Greece wants Turkish crackdown on migrant smugglers

Greece wants Turkish crackdown on migrant smugglers
  • Greek Migration Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos is expected to discuss the issue with Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya in November
  • Disasters involving would-be asylum seekers occur regularly off the coast of Greece, one of the main countries through which people seek to enter the EU
Updated 24 October 2024
AFP
Follow

ATHENS: Greece is to ask neighboring Turkiye to crack down harder on gangs trafficking would-be asylum seekers, a senior migration official said on Thursday.
“We are not doing enough about migrant smugglers. We are raising the issue with our European peers and our Turkish neighbors,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
“The cooperation which we intend to intensify with Turkiye will focus on the war against smuggling networks,” the source added.
Migration Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos is expected to discuss the issue with Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya in November.
More than 37,000 asylum seekers entered Greece in the first nine months of the year, mainly from Turkiye, according to ministry figures.
Arrivals are predicted to reach 50,000 by the end of the year.
Disasters involving would-be asylum seekers occur regularly off the coast of Greece, one of the main countries through which people fleeing poverty or war in Africa, Asia and the Middle East seek to enter the European Union.
Several people have drowned in migrant boat sinkings in recent days.
Greek government officials have stressed that the country’s camps — which can accommodate some 50,000 asylum seekers while their claims for refuge are processed — are not currently under pressure.
But two key new facilities have faced obstacles.
The EU in 2021 allocated 155 million euros ($167 million) to the Greek government to build new camps on the Aegean islands of Lesbos and Chios.
But work on both projects has been held up by local opposition.
In Chios, the plan may have to be scrapped altogether, the ministry official admitted on Thursday.
Lesbos, meanwhile, has faced an ongoing dispute about widening a road through a pristine forest to the new camp, which is nearly complete.

Topics: Greece Turkiye migrants

Related

Turkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. (AP)
Middle-East
Turkish foreign minister to visit Greece to discuss bilateral issues
Greece investigates death of detained Pakistani migrant
Pakistan
Greece investigates death of detained Pakistani migrant

Philippine president to make first visit to UAE

Philippine president to make first visit to UAE
Updated 25 November 2024
Ellie Aben
Follow

Philippine president to make first visit to UAE

Philippine president to make first visit to UAE
  • Marcos’ trip marks ‘significant and symbolic milestone,’ Manila envoy says
  • Philippines, UAE to sign new agreements on energy transition, artificial intelligence
Updated 25 November 2024
Ellie Aben

Manila: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to meet his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday as he makes his inaugural trip to the Gulf nation.

The Philippines and UAE are celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations this year, with the two countries eyeing closer cooperation across many fields to mark the occasion, including in energy transition and artificial intelligence.

The working visit will be Marcos’s first to the UAE since he took office in 2022.

“The president will personally oversee the overall state of bilateral relations between the Philippines and the UAE, and witness the signing of several agreements across a wide array of areas of cooperation, such as energy transition, artificial Intelligence, judicial agreements and culture,” Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Alfonso A. Ver told Arab News on Monday.

The one-day trip marks a “significant and symbolic milestone” in bilateral ties, he added.

“⁠Bilateral relations between the two countries have reached a historic high, and have since expanded to new and innovative forms of cooperation,” Ver said, citing collaborations in space science, agriculture and digital infrastructure as examples.

“With President Marcos’s visit, the Philippines is keen to further boost the positive, robust, and comprehensive state and trajectory of our relationship with the UAE.”

The two countries are currently negotiating a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which has made “significant progress” as of early October, according to the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry.

Around one million Philippine nationals reside in the UAE, making it the second-largest employer of Filipino expats after Saudi Arabia.

“The president will also convey the gratitude of the Philippine government to the leaders of a nation that has tapped Filipino talent, allowing it to flourish in an environment that fosters kindness, respect, and tolerance,” the Presidential Communications Office said in a statement.

“It is expected that these productive dialogues will lead to agreements that will deepen the ties between the two countries … While the President’s visit will be short, the goodwill and opportunities it will create will be substantial, resulting in stronger Philippine-UAE relations.”

Topics: Philippine UAE

Related

Fire rips through slum area in Philippine capital
World
Fire rips through slum area in Philippine capital
Update Philippine VP Duterte labelled ‘mastermind’ of assassination plot
World
Philippine VP Duterte labelled ‘mastermind’ of assassination plot

UK would follow ‘due process’ if Netanyahu were to visit, says foreign minister

UK would follow ‘due process’ if Netanyahu were to visit, says foreign minister
Updated 25 November 2024
Reuters
Follow

UK would follow ‘due process’ if Netanyahu were to visit, says foreign minister

UK would follow ‘due process’ if Netanyahu were to visit, says foreign minister
  • The ICC issued the warrants on Thursday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Updated 25 November 2024
Reuters

FIUGGI: Britain would follow due process if Benjamin Netanyahu visited the UK, foreign minister David Lammy said on Monday, when asked if London would fulfil the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against the Israeli prime minister.
“We are signatories to the Rome Statute, we have always been committed to our obligations under international law and international humanitarian law,” Lammy told reporters at a G7 meeting in Italy.
“Of course, if there were to be such a visit to the UK, there would be a court process and due process would be followed in relation to those issues.”
The ICC issued the warrants on Thursday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri for alleged crimes against humanity.
Several EU states have said they will meet their commitments under the statute if needed, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has invited Netanyahu to visit his country, assuring him he would face no risks if he did so.
“The states that signed the Rome convention must implement the court’s decision. It’s not optional,” Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, said during a visit to Cyprus for a workshop of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists.
Those same obligations were also binding on countries aspiring to join the EU, he said.

At least eight migrants drown off Greek island of Samos

At least eight migrants drown off Greek island of Samos
Updated 25 November 2024
Reuters
Follow

At least eight migrants drown off Greek island of Samos

At least eight migrants drown off Greek island of Samos
  • Greek coast guard finds bodies of six minors, two women
  • So far 39 people rescued, search and rescue operation continues
Updated 25 November 2024
Reuters

Greece’s coast guard has found the bodies of eight migrants — six minors and two women — who drowned off the island of Samos in the Aegean Sea, authorities said on Monday.
Greek police found a further 36 people alive in the northern part of Samos, while three people, trapped in a rocky area on the island, were rescued by coast guard officers, the coast guard said.
Aircraft and vessels assisted a search and rescue operation, it added.
According to a coast guard official, authorities were alerted to the incident by a non-governmental organization and estimate that about 50 people were on board the vessel that brought them off Samos.
Greece, in the southeast corner of the European Union, has long been a favored gateway to Europe for migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
More than one million crossed from Turkiye to Greece’s outlying eastern islands in 2015-2016. Many have drowned while attempting the perilous journey on flimsy boats.
The number of arrivals later dropped before surging again last year.
So far this year, about 54,000 migrants have reached Greece, the second largest number in southern Europe behind Italy. The vast majority of them arrived by sea, according to data from the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR.

Topics: Greek islands illegal immigrants Samos

Le Pen threatens to topple French government over budget

Le Pen threatens to topple French government over budget
Updated 25 November 2024
AFP
Follow

Le Pen threatens to topple French government over budget

Le Pen threatens to topple French government over budget
  • The opposition on all sides of the spectrum have denounced the budget
  • Marine Le Pen downplayed the consequences of the budget being rejected
Updated 25 November 2024
AFP

PARIS: French far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen on Monday threatened to back a no confidence motion that could topple the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier in a standoff over the budget, saying after talks both sides were entrenched in their positions.
Months of political tensions since right-winger Barnier became prime minister at the helm of a minority government appointed by President Emmanuel Macron in the wake of this summer’s elections are coming to a head over the budget which has yet to be approved by parliament.
The opposition on all sides of the spectrum have denounced the budget, prompting Barnier to consider brandishing the weapon of article 49.3 of the constitution which allows a government to force through legislation without a vote in parliament.
However, that could prompt Le Pen’s far right National Rally (RN) to team up in an unholy alliance with the left-wing bloc in parliament and find enough numbers to topple the government in a confidence vote.
Le Pen entered the Matignon residence of the French premier for the breakfast meeting and was to be followed later in the afternoon by hard left France Unbowed (LFI) parliamentary party leader Mathilde Panot as Barnier seeks to hear voices across the board.
“My position has not changed. No more, it seems, than that (the position) of the prime minister has changed,” Le Pen after meeting Barnier, describing him as “at the same time courteous but also entrenched in his positions.”
Asked if the RN would back a no confidence motion, she replied: “Of course.”
Le Pen downplayed the consequences of the budget being rejected, saying she did not believe “in this notion that ‘if this budget is rejected, if there is a no confidence motion, it will be dramatic, there will be chaos, etc’.”
Further complicating the situation is the constitutional rule in France that there must be a one year gap between legislative elections, meaning that Macron cannot call polls until the summer to resolve the crisis.
“Michel Barnier is creating the conditions for a vote of no confidence,” RN deputy leader Sebastien Chenu said on Sunday.
But he insisted that the move would not paralyze France and that Macron still had options, including resigning before his term ends in 2027, something the president has previously ruled out.
“The president has several options... reappoint the same prime minister, appoint a new prime minister, resign if he has no other solution, or call a referendum,” he added.
Government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon had warned in an interview published in the Le Parisien daily that France risked a “Greek-style situation” if the government was brought down, referring to Greece’s 2007-2008 financial crisis.
The issue comes at a critical time for three-time presidential candidate Le Pen, who fancies having her best ever crack at the Elysee in polls due in 2027.
Le Pen, 56, and other RN defendants are currently on trial accused of creating fake jobs at the EU parliament which they deny.
If convicted, she could receive a jail sentence and a ban from public office which would disqualify her from the presidential polls.
Her young lieutenant Jordan Bardella, 29, who is the RN party chief, is not among the accused and is seen by some as harboring his own presidential positions.
Baredella, who has just published his first book “Ce que je cherche” (“What I am Looking For”), told French television last week that “not having a criminal record is, for me, rule number one when you want to be an MP.”
While opponents dubbed him “Brutus” after the Roman politician who assassinated ex-ally Julius Ceasar, Le Pen denied any tensions with her protege, saying they had a “relationship of trust.”

Topics: France Marine Le Pen

Related

French prosecutors demand Marine Le Pen be barred from office in fake jobs trial
World
French prosecutors demand Marine Le Pen be barred from office in fake jobs trial
France’s Marine Le Pen to defend her seat in June legislative elections
World
France’s Marine Le Pen to defend her seat in June legislative elections

Children killed in Mozambique election violence: HRW

Children killed in Mozambique election violence: HRW
Updated 25 November 2024
AFP
Follow

Children killed in Mozambique election violence: HRW

Children killed in Mozambique election violence: HRW
  • The southern African nation has been rocked by unrest since an October 9 vote won by the ruling Frelimo party
  • Thousands of people have demonstrated across the country in recent weeks in protests brutally suppressed by the police
Updated 25 November 2024
AFP

JOHANNESBURG: Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Monday that Mozambican security forces killed at least 10 children and injured dozens more in post-election violence.
The southern African nation has been rocked by unrest since an October 9 vote won by the ruling Frelimo party in power since independence but contested by the opposition.
Thousands of people have demonstrated across the country in recent weeks in protests brutally suppressed by the police.
One 13-year-old girl was “caught in a crowd of people fleeing tear gas and gunfire... One of the bullets hit her in the neck, and she instantly fell to the ground and died,” HRW said in a statement.
The rights group said it had documented “nine additional cases of children killed and at least 36 other children injured by gunfire during the protests.”
The authorities have not responded to HRW’s claims.
Police have also detained “hundreds of children, in many cases for days, without notifying their families, in violation of international human rights law,” HRW said.
President Filipe Nyusi, who is due to step down in January, condemned an “attempt to install chaos in our country” in a state of the nation address last week.
He said that 19 people had been killed in the recent clashes, five of them from the police force. More than 800 people were injured, including 66 police, he added.
Civil society groups recorded a higher death toll — with more than 67 people killed since the unrest began — and said that an estimated 2,000 others had been detained.
Nyusi, 65, has invited the main opposition leader, Venancio Mondlane, for talks.
Mondlane, who came in second after Frelimo’s Daniel Chapo, 47, but claims to have won, has been organizing most of the protests.
He said he would accept the president’s offer as long as the talks were held virtually and legal proceedings against him were dropped.
The 50-year-old is believed to have left the country for fear of arrest or attack but his whereabouts are unknown.

Topics: Mozambique

Related

Mozambique opposition leader Mondlane sets conditions for post-election talks
World
Mozambique opposition leader Mondlane sets conditions for post-election talks
Mozambique opposition calls for crippling protests over poll results
World
Mozambique opposition calls for crippling protests over poll results

Latest updates

Faisal Khan joins brother in century club as Saudi Arabia registers consecutive wins
Faisal Khan joins brother in century club as Saudi Arabia registers consecutive wins
Scientists awarded for sustainable water innovation at Saudi conference
Scientists awarded for sustainable water innovation at Saudi conference
PSC members visit Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh
PSC members visit Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh
Winners of Arabic language prize honored
Winners of Arabic language prize honored
Saudi Arabia hosts global cybersecurity conference Black Hat 24
Saudi Arabia hosts global cybersecurity conference Black Hat 24

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2024 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.