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NATO: Efforts to stem migrant flows making a difference NATO: Efforts to stem migrant flows making a difference
(35 minutes later)
ANKARA, Turkey — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says efforts to stem the tide of migrants seeking the shores of Europe are working. ANKARA, Turkey — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday efforts to stem the tide of migrants seeking the shores of Europe are working.
Speaking in Ankara, he said the collective effort is “making a difference” and that the number of migrants crossing the Aegean Sea is “significantly down.” Speaking at a press conference with Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara, the Turkish capital, Stoltenberg said the collective effort is “making a difference” and that the number of migrants crossing the Aegean Sea is “going significantly down.”
Under an EU-Turkey deal signed last month, migrants arriving on Greek islands from the Turkish coast from March 20 onwards face deportation to Turkey unless they successfully apply for asylum in Greece.Under an EU-Turkey deal signed last month, migrants arriving on Greek islands from the Turkish coast from March 20 onwards face deportation to Turkey unless they successfully apply for asylum in Greece.
The International Organization for Migration says Greece has seen fewer than 70 arrivals per day in the past 10 days, down from nearly 1,500 of arrivals per day before the deal was struck.The International Organization for Migration says Greece has seen fewer than 70 arrivals per day in the past 10 days, down from nearly 1,500 of arrivals per day before the deal was struck.
NATO began patrolling the Aegean Sea in February to help stop the smuggling of migrants. Stoltenberg said Turkey, based on information that NATO provides, is “taking action to help break the business model of traffickers.”
But, he warned, the fight against trafficking requires “flexibility” as smugglers can “shift their routes rapidly.”
The migrant crisis, Stoltenberg added, demonstrates how urgent it is to find a solution to the Syrian conflict.
Turkey, which borders Syria, is home to 2.7 million Syrian refugees.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.