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 Greek2m  
supported the #Lesvos Nomination to become
 the European Culture Capital  in 2021, under the cooperation of Empathy Community Based NGO with the Municipality of #Lesvos 
Visit our Special Pages and stand by Lesvos.
The greek2m team

Safety on Emergency

Greece and Turkey should work together , said the four

The US president Bartak Obama agreed on a teleconference held  on Monday Feb 22 with the three powerful leaders of Europe, German Chancelor  Angela Merkel, French president Francois Hollande, and UK Prime Minuster David Cameron to be firmly committed to the Nato migration mission, noting the importance of Greece and Turkey working together and with the international community to ensure the mission's success." find more

Retweeted DimitrisAvramopoulos (@Avramopoulos):Welcome @NATO deal reached to fight #MigrantSmuggling in #Aegean.Thank @jensstoltenberg for strong cooperation. https://t.co/ekD59hedTE

Posted by Maria Papapanagiotou on Thursday, February 25, 2016

ISIS arrests

Iraqi man arrest in #Athens airport with passport stolen by #ISIS

A 37-year old Iraqi who traveled from Istanbul to Athens with one of the false passports that were stolen by fighters of ISIS from Iraq, was arrested in El. Venizelos airport.

The Iraqi lives in Athens and is married to Greek woman, argued that he received the disputed passport in Athens by mail, having sent only his a photograph to Iraq ... 

February 3, 2016, more


 
 


"Dear EU, The work is done, by the Greeks"

In #Greece, the work is done, reports from #Lesvos to EU, #EDP MEP Marielle de Sarne 

I saw the work of the Greek Coast Guard and the Greek border guards, I saw the Greek ships– more Greek ships than Frontex ones, by the way –, I saw the work they are doing in rescuing and welcoming the refugees.

"let’s consider the Greece border as the European"

#EDP MEP Marielle de Sarne from #Lesvos to EU:  “Obviously as you want to keep Schengen, as we all want, let’s consider the Greece border as the European border and let’s not try to play and let’s not try to be divided.”
 

Retweeted Peter Maurer (@PMaurerICRC):With the admirable mayor of Lesbos @SpyrosGalinos for a tour of the island. Lesbos means 'safety' to thousands. https://t.co/87S2IyOrFc

Posted by Maria Papapanagiotou on Sunday, February 21, 2016


"Instead of Financial support, Europe is slamming Greece"

 
 

the realities at sea

Posted by Greek to me , greek2m.org on Tuesday, January 26, 2016
 
Hours spent on patrol shows the near-impossibility of sealing Europe's sea borders as some have demanded of Greece, whose islands so near to Turkey are the most popular gateway into Europe, wrote the ( AP on Jan24,2015)

 
the shield for the Borders' biological Safety

The Greek CDC Emergency 
Response
The Plan for Emergency Response provided by  the Greek CDC (HCDCP) to the government since early May 2015 activates the creation of aTrafficking and Migrating Populations Observatory on the Crossroad Greece the Health Screeing of all refugees and migrants newcomers, and the providence of a Health Card to all the refugees identified in the Hotspots ,as to facilitate the proper emergency political or operational decisions that might start from a simple mosquito bite and end up to the worst nightmasrish bioterror scenario  

 

Report an Emergeny on Greek2m

if you find yourself on difficult situation in Greece, especially on Public Health Emergency,wether you are a traveler, visitor, or help aid worker, you can reach us for help and we will notify the authorities in charge
 

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 links you need Click photo

Global Emergency:
the Zika

Mosquito virus that crosses Any Borders

Director General of the World Health Organisation Margaret Chan said: “The level of alarm is extremely high, for four reasons:"

“First, the possible association of infection with birth malformations and neurological syndromes. Second, the potential for further international spread given the wide geographical distribution of the mosquito vector. Third, the lack of population immunity in newly affected areas. Fourth, the absence of vaccines.” More

 

Why not a  Nobel Prize

Posted by Mytilene-Lesvos-2021 European Capital of Culture Candidate City on Wednesday, February 3, 2016
 

the real Guardians of the Borders: Lesvos' people

"...And until Europe makes its decisions, the weight falls on your shoulders but also the praise for what you do...."

President of Democray of Greece, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, Mytilene, Lesvos, November 8, 2016

”You are the tireless guardians of Greece's and EU Borders the unique example of civilization, President of #Greece told people of #Lesvos

Your example is one of civilization and humanity. Lesbos has been the “sleepless and tireless” guardian of Greek borders at a critical time for Europe“ said Prokopis Pavlopoulos visiting the island on November 8th, 2015, on the 103rd anniversary since the island’s liberation from Ottoman Turks. ” the President of Greece underlined.

Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Terens Quick visiting Lesbos next to the President of Democracy Prokopis Pavlopoulos, met in Skala Sikamias village the LesvosYiayia , the emblematic figure that made headlines worldwide when she was captured by a photographer’s camera to feed a refugee baby



Love Ignores the Borders 

 
 

the Border, by Ai Wei Wei. Himself

Ai Weiwei spent the days surrounding the New Year’s holiday with migrants and refugees on the island of Lesbos. The artist took to social media to raise awareness for the refugees’ plight.

“The border is not in #Lesvos, it really is in our minds and in our hearts”Ai Weiwei, remembering the boy Alan on the shores of the Greek island.(image from #AiWei's Twitter channel)

Posted by Rupert Schildböck on Monday, February 1, 2016
find more on our
Posted by Greek to me , greek2m.org on Tuesday, January 26, 2016
 

Thousands of refugees are stuck on Greece's border with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, overflowing from a packed camp into the surrounding fields, as they wait for FYROM authorities to let them continue their trek through the Balkans.

Police say about 6,500 people are at or near the Idomeni border crossing, with another 500 moved to a hastily erected camp on a small concrete landing strip some 20 kilometres (13 miles) away.

Authorities let 300 Syrians and Iraqis in between 10 pm (GMT) Sunday and 3am (GMT) on Monday, after which the crossing closed.

No Sharing Europe

National panic in the closed borders’ vast hot spot that is Greece

Chaos leading to  generalized national panic is the latest  update on refugee crisis in Greece by thousands arriving every day back to Athens from the closed Greek -FYROM border and some more thousands daily sent from the islands to Piraeus and then Athens, while the country realises that not only European solidarity  is a illusion, but more dramatically, that sharing of the refugee burden has proved to be a utopia itself .
“Greece becoming a vast camp”, Peter Sutherland, United Nations Special .... find that, by Feb 25


 

Borders closed

 
 
 

Greece trapped

“Decision to exclude #Afghans violates summit agreement”, said @imouzalas, "though it was not a written one..." We are...

Posted by Greek to me , greek2m.org on Monday, February 22, 2016
Thousands of migrants trapped in Greece as neighbors tighten restrictions
About 5,000 people massed at two locations in northern Greece, close to the border with Macedonia, while aid groups urged another 4,000, who arrived on the Greek mainland from outlying islands, not to head to north for fear of creating a bottleneck.
 

Turkish Coastguard is sinking the boats, takes children from mothers adrift, refugees tell the Greek authorities after crossing Volunteers’ voices from Lesvos denounce that Turkish Coast Guard is...

Posted by Maria Papapanagiotou on Friday, February 19, 2016
This is the #Borders Management List for #Greece. #Cruise and #yacht travelers will also be screened
According to the draft Council implementing decision that set the 50 points  Recommendation, vacationers on crusie ships or yachts should also be checked on the Aegean islands of Greece, among other measures on refugees identification and relocation proceedures. find more


#Gate2West
@Aegean

 

U.S. Navy Vice Adm. James Foggo, III, Commander, 6th Fleet, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Greece David D. Pearce,...

Posted by Greek to me , greek2m.org on Thursday, February 25, 2016
 





  

NATO 


in Aegean


Greeks wellcomed the NATO 

Accepted the Positions of Greece  
  • Greek and Turkish vessels should have to be restricted to their respective territorial waters.

the fatal Greek Navy helicopter crash


NATO intervention in Aegean operations to stop migration flows from Turkey to Greece was agreed in Brussels, while Greece was waking up on a national bereavement day, due to the Greek Navy helicopter crash in the Aegean Sea, with two crew members found dead and the third missing.

go to article

 

         Hot spots                            

“Some Europeans may want to turn the country into a concentration camp or a warehouse for humans, which we will not allow”

 Greek Defense Minister 

said on Feb.5  

“Greece has already 

paid the price too dearly, much too dearly, in the midst of an economic crisis.” he said

$3 billion paid for refugees by #Greece, which might be out of #Schengen anyway, @PanosKammenos, @imouzalas 


“Europe might close the Borders to Greece, even after the country’s commitments are fulfilled”,  Alternate Minister for Migration Policy Yiannis Mouzalas said in a tv interview on Monday evening, adding that

“they don’t hear us in Europe!” , referring to the EU-Greece talks on European and Greece’s external Borders protection.

"Commitments will be fulfilled by the deadlines", on Febr15, earlier on Monday, the Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos had reassured more

Greece’s Defense Minister  Panos Kamenos announced on Tuesday that Greece has met its deadlines and commitment to EU  to have the hot spots ready before February 18th,and that the four five hotspots were already functioning .

Spokesperson for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship of European Commission Tove Ernst, also, stressed  at a press conference:. Go to story

 

Schengen 

Turkey in , Greece out ?

 

Retweeted Turkey News (@Turkey):Greek defense minister slams Turkey's 'hegemonic ambitions': Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos visits his ...

Posted by Maria Papapanagiotou on Tuesday, February 23, 2016

#Turkey in, #Greece out of #Schengen option, plus #NATO patrols

Alexis Tsipras answered to Angela Merkel via phone call, on her way back to Germany from Turkey, where she visited for a second time in less than ten days. Through the international News, the Greek government had the chance to know, as official Greek government sources said, that Angela Merkel proposed to the Turkish Leaders the NATO ships patrols in the Aegean seas between Turkey and Greece. more

Majority of the 28 EU member states adopt the highly critical Commission’s report

 that “Greece seriously neglected its obligations on external border control 

and that there are serious deficiencies in the carrying out of external border controls that must be overcome and dealt with by Greek authorities,” Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis told a press conference.

more on CrossRoad Greece

“Is it #Turkophobia”?
 to @PrimeministerGR

Ankara suggested the Greek Prime Minister's  plane flying to Iran on February 6th, to land for refueling in Turkey instead of the Greek island Rhodes for which the Greek Air plan was suggesting,  and then continue the journey with Ankara’s overflight permission Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos elaborated speaking to Greek Star TV answering to questions of Defense Reporter Paris Karvounopoulos.


Part of the deal :Turkey's Black Mail to the West 

"We can open the doors to Greece and Bulgaria anytime and we can put the refugees on buses,” Erdogan was quoted as telling European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk after being told that the EU was offering Turkey €3 billion over two years.


A Schengen quarantine for Greece

What happens now?
  • Greece has no land borders with the rest of the Schengen zone. In theory, installing new frontier checks will only affect air and sea ports.
  • “Serious deficiencies” – a key phrase allowing other member states to impose longer-term measures on people arriving from Greece.
  • These measures come under the never-before used Article 26 of the Schengen code.
  • They can be brought in for up to six months and renewed up to three times.
  • It is not clear what might happen after that.

euronews, 25/1/2016

The Germans, as well as several other EU countries have long been furious with the Greeks for allegedly simply waving the new arrivals through without registration and ID checks and setting them on the Balkan route to Europe January 29, 2016,moodhackerblog


A US Visa-free loss  

@NikosKotzias : Out of question the Greece out of Schengen scenario

@NikosKotzias, Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, said Frontex should deploy about 100 boats in the narrow stretch of water separating Greece from Turkey, the main launching pad for 850,000 refugees and migrants who reached Greece’s shores last year. Go to our News story for more



After the EE official warning to Greece
 for being pushed out of Schengen zone, the US Secretary of State John Kerry 
 issued warning to Greece among four other European countries to clamp down on the fake passport trade or lose visa-free 
ESTA travel to America.

January 29, 2016, moodhackerblog



An other Germany 

Angela  Merkel: They should ALL back home
 "We need ... to say to people that this is a temporary residential status and we expect that, once there is peace in Syria again, once ISIS has been defeated in Iraq, that you go back to your home country with the knowledge that you have gained.”
Frauke Petry: Shoot them if necessary

 The leader of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) said "it should not be shy about turning people back and creating “border protection installations” - and that border guards should, if necessary, shoot at migrants trying to enter illegally.
 


the other Europe

Hungary and Slovakia vs.Greece: "We have been saying all along that if the Greeks are unable to protect the borders of their country, we should jointly go down south and protect them" 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban had said early enough since November, with his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico echoing the thought. 

(AP,24/1/2016)


Hot pots important, but detention

centers also needed, says Commissioner Avramopoulos,

 more…

Belgian Minister Theo Franken (REFERRED TO HAVE ASKED FOR PUSH-BACKS) said that Greece “clearly lacks” the ability to handle the situation.This is why, he added, he is calling for the “Europeanisation of the hotspots in Greece.”

Greece-Parking well planned

 
 

Greece's Complaints 

We need Frontex in Greece, @imouzalas

 angrily 

shout to EU ministers


more 


"Europe", Ioannis Mouzalas  said on Monday Jan 25, 

"has shortchanged Greece by providing smaller-than-promised numbers of everything, from cots and fingerprinting machines to border guards. "

He says Athens wanted 1,800 Frontex 

officers, but has got only 800 

go to our moodhackerblog story  


 


Greece's official Thesis and Demands on Borders Control 

(as expressed by Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs)

  • The audit of the refugees flows should be done in Turkey,

  • Frontex  must strengthen its fleet

  • all newcomers, refugeees and migrants should be 
identified in the Hotspots in Greece
that have to be completed as soon as possible 

  • there should soon be an agreement with Ankara
refugees to be repatriated should board the vessels of  Frontex
and be transported back to Turkey.


push backs are illegal

󾓹 (via https://t.co/lYevdYuBEZ) https://t.co/6jjVMGvqNo

Posted by Maria Papapanagiotou on Saturday, January 30, 2016


The Greek Deputy Immigration Minister, Ioannis Mouzalas, told BBC’s Newsnight that the Belgian interior minister Theo Francken told him to 

“drive them back into the sea; go against the law; I’m sorry, but I do not care if they drown.”. He also asked of a 300000 capacity refugees camp in Athens  find that



No matter how many patrol boats are out in Greek waters, attempting to force a vessel of asylum-seekers back into Turkish waters is both illegal and dangerous, even in calm seas. 


So unless a Turkish patrol stops a migrant boat and returns it to Turkey, there is little Greek or Frontex patrols can do once it has entered Greek territorial waters but arrest the smugglers, and pick up the passengers. or escort the vessel safely to land.

AP, 24/1/2016


Interesting!
"Illegal PUSH-BACKS by Greek coastguards were daily practices" says the Alarm Phone official brochure of 2015.



Greece has repeatedly said that: No to joint- with-Turkey sea patrols

 
@tsipras_eu to Merkel: #Refugees screening should be done in Turkey, #Greece says no 2plans for joint #SeaPatrols
October 14, 2015

Alexis Tsipras said officially NO to Angela Merkel talking on the phone on Wednesday October 14, hours before the European Council for Migration, and while Turkey had gladly said Yes to joint patrols of Greek and Turkish Naval and Coastguard Patrols in the Aegean Tsipras said officialy NO to Merkel, insisting instead .

Instead of that the Greek Prime Minister insisted to ask the identification screening procedure of migrants and refugees to be held on the Turkish coast,

President Pavlopoulos to Merkel:

Yes to Frontex , No to joint with Turkey patrols

January 19, 2016

President of Democray of Greece Prokopis Pavlopoulos underlined the need for collaboration with EU countries and Frontex, butruled out joint Greek and Turkish patrols.
Focusing on Turkey, Pavlopoulos said the country needs to live up to its commitment to control the flow of refugees and especially economic migrants who leave from Turkey, “often with the cooperation of the Turkish authorities.”

He also noted the need to reactivate the readmission agreements.find that

 

The trafficking routes to the islands of Aegean and the smugglers’ methods, contacts and interfaces revealed a recent official Report of the Greek Police that is conducted by the cooperation of the Greek National Intelligence Service. According to the report, persons and contacts from Greece provide assistance to the Turkish smugglers and on time information as to successfully “synchronize” their movements to avoiding or verdge the Coast Guard patrols find that

 


Look how the migration flow was starting to rise on our Look Down the Aegaean Cross Life Borders  Special Page