Greece warns European Union. that it cannot contain the flow of refugees

Greece has delivered a stark warning on the eve of an emergency summit over the migration crisis, declaring that it cannot stop tens of thousands of people from crossing its northern border and travelling onwards in Europe, Irish Independent reported.

Nikolaos Toskas, the Greek minister for public order, said Europe was deluding itself by believing that refugees could be bottled up in his country.

The European Union will convene an emergency summit with Turkey tomorrow, with signs that a deal is close.

Under this proposed agreement, Turkey would agree to take back all economic migrants - this is generally defined as all non-Syrians - presently in Greece in return for the EU accepting refugees directly from its camps.

The aim is to stem the flow across the Aegean, where about 1,000 people are landing every day on the Greek island of Lesbos alone. More than 125,000 migrants have arrived in Greece so far this year, 12 times more than at this point in 2015.

A new build-up of refugees is taking place on Greece's frontier with Macedonia, where 30,000 people are waiting to cross.

Toskas gave warning that the Greek authorities may find it impossible to hold back the migrants, unless other European countries take their fair share.

"They will find ways to go. Maybe with reduced numbers, but they will go wherever they want. So the only way is to co-operate in a comprehensive way," he said.

"We don't want to allow them," Toskas said. "But the borders are very long and we are trying. We are keeping almost the entire police force and army controlling these borders, but it is very difficult to control sea borders and mountainous terrain."

Toskas was appointed this week to Greece's eight-member crisis cabinet for refugees. His government has warned the mayors of Greek cities to expect 100,000 new arrivals by April.

Source: MENA