Tension! Shooting at the border between Turkey and Greece in the area near Maritza, where refugees invaded

It became clear on Thursday that Turkish soldiers fired into the air in two incidents on Maritsa’s land border with Greece on March 5th and 7th, according to Greek and German border guards patrolling the area under the auspices of the European Union’s Border Protection Agency, Frontex , reports Kathimerini.

The incidents, reported in a letter to the European Commission by Frontex CEO Fabrice Ledgeri, have put Greek authorities on high alert to prevent illegal entry of migrants from the Turkish side of the border.

Tens of thousands of migrants tried to enter Greece in February last year on Ankara’s orders, leading to tense confrontations with Athens and Brussels, the paper said.

According to Greek police sources, the first of the two incidents took place on Friday (March 5th) in the Tiheros area with Turkish soldiers who lit torches while patrolling German and Greek officers on the Greek side of the border and fired twice into the air. to intimidate them. In their official reports, German border guards say the Turkish national anthem was heard through loudspeakers during the incident.

The second incident was registered 48 hours later in the exact same area, when a Turkish soldier fired once in the air as soon as he learned that the guards were patrolling the Greek side of the border.

The German officials prepared reports, which were sent to Frontex, while the reports to the Greek police headquarters and the leadership of the Ministry of Civil Protection were prepared by the law enforcement agencies of the Regional Directorate of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.

In a letter to Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, EU Commissioner for Migration Ilva Johansson and Director-General for Migration and Home Affairs Monique Parriat, the head of Frontex noted the increasing number of airstrikes on the Turkish side of the border.

He stressed that all patrols in the area were ordered to wear bulletproof vests.

Greek officials noted that the two incidents happened at exactly the same point, and that similar things had not happened in the area for many months.

“We conclude that this is not a central strategic choice for Turkey, but a local initiative of the Turkish army officers who are on site,” a Greek police officer told Kathimerini.

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