The Greek government has denied media reports that the country's coastguards have thrown refugees into the sea off the island of Samos.
Such reports are probably the result of Turkish disinformation, said Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis on Thursday evening.
"Turkey's propaganda about illegal migration often leads to false stories appearing in the media." Greece protects the European Union's external borders in full compliance with international law, the minister said in writing.
The news magazine "Der Spiegel" and the British newspaper "The Guardian" had previously published a report in which serious allegations were made.
Accordingly, in September, Greek border guards are said to have brought migrants who had arrived from Turkey who had already reached the Greek island of Samos back onto boats and thrown them into the sea.
Two people drowned.
Mitarakis announced that there were independent investigations into such allegations on the Greek side.
However, the authors of such reports would not provide details and evidence requested by them to authorities, making it difficult for them to examine them.