Turkey invites the European Union and the international community, who remain silent on Greece's actions, to stake a claim to the humanitarian values they are defending, Turkey’s deputy foreign minister said on Sunday.
Sharing footage of pushbacks of migrants by Greek elements on the Aegean Sea, Yavuz Selim Kıran underlined that pushbacks cannot be legitimized with the rhetoric of protecting borders.
He added that the images of migrants left to die barefoot amid freezing temperatures is shattering souls.
The video shows the Hellenic Coast Guard trying to sink a migrant boat in violation of international commitments and humanitarian values as well as shots fired close to the migrants' boat.
It said that in the past two years, more than 33,000 asylum seekers have been pushed back toward Turkey in front of the eyes of the EU border agency Frontex.
"Only this year, 1,250 migrants have suffered from the illegal practices of Greek elements," it said, recalling that last week 19 migrants stripped of their clothes were found dead from the cold.
Underlining that Turkey has warned the international community several times of these practices and realities, the video added that the EU continues to remain silent.
Most recently, 19 irregular migrants were found frozen to death near the Greek-Turkish border after Greek border officials stripped them off their clothes, stole their valuable possessions and pushed them back into Turkish territory.
Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu shared several photos of the sites where the migrants were found, with the victims' lifeless bodies blurred.
Commenting on the incident, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan slammed the EU's border protection agency Frontex for cooperating with Greece and the bloc for turning a blind eye to the deaths of migrants.
Greece, calling the incident a "tragedy," denied involvement.
Turkey and human rights groups have repeatedly condemned Greece's illegal practice of pushing back asylum-seekers, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children.
Greece’s pushbacks of irregular migrants increased by 97% in 2021 compared to the previous year, according to a report by the Norwegian nongovernmental organization (NGO) Aegean Boat Report, which monitors the movement of migrants in the area.
Turkey has repeatedly condemned Greece's illegal practice of pushing back asylum-seekers, stating it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children.
In recent years, hundreds of thousands of asylum-seekers have made the short but perilous journey across the Aegean to reach northern and western Europe in search of a better life.
Hundreds of people have died at sea as many boats carrying refugees often sink or capsize. The Turkish Coast Guard Command has rescued thousands of others.
Turkey and Greece are key transit points for migrants looking to cross into Europe, fleeing war and persecution to start new lives. Turkey has accused Greece of large-scale pushbacks, summary deportations and denying migrants access to asylum procedures, which is a violation of international law.
Pushbacks are considered contrary to international refugee protection agreements that say people should not be expelled or returned to a country where their life or safety might be in danger due to their race, religion, nationality or membership in a social or political group.
