South of Crete emerges as new migration route to enter Greece

According to media reports, approximately 1,500 migrants, predominantly Egyptian men, arrived in Crete by sea over the past three months

Media reports said Tuesday that an emerging new migration to the Greek island of Crete is putting pressure on Athens and causing increasing concern.

With the arrival of around 300 people, the number of irregular migrants who arrived on the island of Gavdos, south of Crete, by sea from Egypt, reached 1,500, according to the Kathimerini newspaper.

It said the majority of the migrants in the last three months are Egyptian men and a small percentage have claimed Bangladesh or Pakistan nationals.

“Of course, we are concerned. However, we will address the issue in cooperation with Europe,” Migration Minister Dimitris Kairidis told the newspaper.

He maintained that the increased arrivals to Crete and Gavdos are via new migration routes, starting in Egypt and stopping on the way to the Libyan coast.

Regional Gov. of Crete Stavros Arnaoutakis said: “We are waiting for the minister and we will consult to achieve the best possible result.”

He said the flow of irregular migrants would likely grow with improving weather.

Greek authorities have announced in recent months that the number of migrants arriving via the Aegean Sea and the northern Evros region significantly fell owing to the advancement of cooperation with Türkiye on the problem.

Source: AA

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