After scuffles between Greek police and migrants at the Turkish border crossing at Pazarkule (Kastanies, Greek side), Greece announced on Saturday February 29 that it had prevented 4,000 migrants from Turkey from entering "illegally" on its territory .

The statement was made by government spokesman Stelios Petsas after an emergency meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

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"We have protected our borders and those of Europe"

"Greece was faced yesterday (Friday) with an organized, mass and illegal attempt to violate our borders and has overcome it," he said. "We have protected our borders and those of Europe. We have prevented more than 4,000 attempts at illegal entry inside our borders," he said.

Again on Saturday, the Greek police tried to repel with tear gas canisters of thousands of migrants, some of whom threw stones at the police, AFP journalists found.

"I want to be clear: no illegal entry will be tolerated," Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote on Twitter on Friday, noting that "Greece has tightened the security of its borders" with Turkey.

The announcement followed shortfalls at the border post after Turkey announced on Friday that it would no longer prevent migrants from traveling to Europe. Thousands of migrants then spent the night at the border, gathering around braziers.

With AFP

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