Ingibjorg Solrun, the director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), on Wednesday called for consensus among the EU and OSCE member states so that the situation with refugees stranded at the Turkish-Greek border can be handled humanely
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th March, 2020) Ingibjorg Solrun, the director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), on Wednesday called for consensus among the EU and OSCE member states so that the situation with refugees stranded at the Turkish-Greek border can be handled humanely.
On February 28, Turkey announced it would not be able to hold back the migrants fleeing renewed violence in Syria's Idlib province, and opened its borders with the European Union as a result. What quickly followed was a humanitarian crisis as tens of thousands of people flocked to Turkey's border with Greece. Multiple altercations with the Greek law enforcement officers ensued.
"There are tens of thousands of human beings in the no-man's land between Turkey and the EU whose suffering is intensifying each day through the failure of political leaders to find a humane solution ... This is a difficult situation, but there are numerous potential solutions on the table that need to be explored. This is a time where true leadership means the ability to compromise, and I therefore call on all countries across the EU and OSCE to show that leadership," Solrun said in a statement by ODIHR.
The office also criticized the Greek government for suspending its asylum applications earlier in the month, saying this would create a dangerous precedent.
Meanwhile, a number of European leaders as well as top EU officials, including European Council President Charles Michel, expressed solidarity with Greece's efforts to protects its border, which also serves as an external border for the EU.
