BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — The Greek Defense Ministry rejected the possibility of military involvement to control its maritime border with Turkey, National Defense Minister Panos Kammenos said Tuesday.
"The borders between Greece and Turkey <…> is the Aegean Sea. Control of the borders by the ministry of defense means to kill the children but this is impossible," Kammenos told journalists ahead of an EU defense ministers' meeting.
Greece is a transit country used by hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing violence and poverty in the Middle East and North Africa.
Approximately 160,000 migrants and refugees crossed into Greece from Turkey in October alone, according to the International Organization for Migration.
On Wednesday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is expected to visit Turkey for negotiations on migration and diplomatic relations with the country's authorities.
