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Greece has sent two elder Coast Guard officials to Libya to try and talk section authorities into helping stem a wave of migration successful small boats from the northbound African state to Crete, the authorities said Tuesday.
Vassilis Kikilias, the curate for maritime affairs, said the two were sent pursuing coordination with the Foreign Ministry, while a third serviceman will beryllium permanently stationed astatine the Greek consulate successful Libya to liaise with the Libyan Coast Guard.
“We are trying to cooperate so that we tin code a archetypal wave of migratory flows connected their ain coastline, utilizing [the Libyans’] ain forces, their ain Coast Guard,” helium said during a visit to Crete.
The southern Greek land has evolved into the astir fashionable single constituent of introduction successful Greece for migrants seeking a amended beingness successful the European Union. Nearly 2,300 radical person reached Crete’s southern seashore from eastbound Libya so acold this year, risking the agelong and unsafe Mediterranean Sea crossing successful anticipation of being capable to travel connected from Greece into Europe’s prosperous heartland.
That’s astir a third of the total 6,700 radical who person entered Greece illegally since January 1. The 2nd astir fashionable destination is the land of Lesvos, adjacent to Turkey successful the eastbound Aegean Sea, with astir 800 arrivals.
Kikilias, who connected Monday pledged to “defend” Crete against amerciable migration, said the overmuch greater region progressive successful the transition from Libya – 70-100 nautical miles, compared to 2-7 from Turkey – made Coast Guard operations to grip the influx “complex and difficult.”
“This is the unfastened oversea … and hunt and rescue operations are overmuch harder,” helium said.
Greek (GR) · 
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