Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Slams Greece Over Mistreating Refugees

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th April, 2021) Greece's mistreatment of asylum seekers violates international rules, Turkey's Deputy Foreign Minister Yavuz Selim Kıran said Tuesday, stressing that the country's refusal to allow refugees through its borders is akin to persecution.

On Monday, 54 asylum seekers, who were sent back into Turkish territorial waters by Greece, were rescued off the coast of Canakkale province in Turkey.

"Once again, we condemn Greece's inhumane pushbacks on our border and persecution for asylum seekers. These practices, which do not fit to dictates of conscience, violate the 1951 Refugee Convention and international obligations," Kiran said on Twitter.

Asylum seekers and migrants occasionally attempt to arrive from Turkey to Greece by crossing the Aegean Sea. For many migrants, Greece serves as an entry point into the European Union.