Greece finishes fence construction along Turkish border

PanARMENIAN.Net - Greece has finished construction of a fence along the 12.5-km (8-mile) stretch of its land border with Turkey to curb illegal migration, RIA Novosti reported citing the Athens News Agency.

The construction of the razor-wire-topped 13-foot-tall fence took almost a year and cost the Greek budget an estimated $3.2 million euros ($4.2 mln).

The fence covers a short dry land stretch from Kastanies to the Greek village of Nea Vyssa, near the northeastern town of Orestiada, as most of Greece’s 125-mile border with Turkey runs along a river known as Evros in Greece and Meric in Turkey.

The fence will be patrolled by Greek border guards and officers from the European Union's border monitoring agency Frontex.

In addition, some 26 floating barriers are being placed along the Evros River which is considered the main entry point for illegal immigrants trying to reach the European Union.

According to EU statistics, over 80% of illegal immigrants enter the European Union through the ‘porous’ border between Turkey and Greece. About 100,000 immigrants were arrested while attempting to cross the border between the two countries in 2011.

There are currently an estimated 300,000 people living illegally in Greece.

The Greek government has recently tightened its anti-migration policies in anticipation of a mass influx of Syrian refugees fleeing an escalating conflict in the violence-torn country.