Greek police issued a statement on Sunday about the 40 refugees reported by aid groups to have been stranded for days on a river islet inside a restricted military zone at the border with Turkey.
In the statement, the police said the refugees are located at a point “outside Greek territory.”
“…the investigation shows that the point mentioned in the complaints is outside Greek territory and that it has informed the Turkish authorities twice,” the statement adds.
According to AlJazeera, the refugees said they were forced on the islet by Turkish authorities on August 7.
Greek authorities have been notified of their location and activists have made emergency calls on their behalf to police, but officials said in their statement that they have not been able to locate the group.
“At the same time, the coordinates were given to the competent services of the armed forces, which pointed out that it is a location outside Greek territory,” the statement said.
The Greek police subsequently briefed the Turkish authorities at the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint in Bulgaria.
The Evros land border is a frequent crossing point for those wishing to claim asylum in Europe, but many reports have documented violent Greek pushbacks in recent months, as well as incidents where people have been made to cross by Turkish authorities.
Source: Ekathimerini.
