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Asylum seekers, refugees cross into Greece despite obstacles 

March 5, 2020 at 1:37 pm

Asylum seekers are seen at Edirne Ulus Bazaar near Tundzha river, where they were stay up their night to avoid from the rain on 5 March, 2020 [Şebnem Coşkun/Anadolu Agency]

Asylum seekers and refugees continue to flock from Turkey towards the Greek border in a bid to reach Europe despite the obstacles they face.

Travelling long distances to reach Greece, some by land via border crossings in Turkey and others by sea across the Aegean Sea. Some refugees have chosen to swim through the Evros river separating Turkey and Greece.

A group of nine Syrian refugees travelled for three days until they reached the river in order to cross into Greece. They said they would wait until nightfall before making the rest of the journey because Greek farmers carry weapons with the aim of preventing the entry of asylum seekers.

OPINION: A bloodbath on the border is not the solution to the Syrian refugee crisis

Thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants travelled to Turkey’s western borders on Thursday last week after Ankara announced that it will keep its doors open for asylum seekers wishing to cross into Europe.

Earlier this week, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu announced that more than 130,000 asylum seekers have now crossed into Greece.