Greek President slams Turkey for facilitating migrant smugglingJanuary 18, 2016 - 12:23 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Greek President Prokopios Pavlopoulos accused Turkey on Monday, January 18 of facilitating the smuggling of migrants from its territory to Europe, Sputnik International reports. "I have serious concerns that Turkish human traffickers get support from authorities," Pavlopoulos told Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The Greek leader said that port authorities in Turkey did not do enough to prevent migrants from boarding smuggler boats bound for Europe. "In particular, port authorities are pretending to be unaware of this," he claimed. The European Union agreed in November to give Turkey 3 billion euros (almost $3.8 billion) in funds to help it bolster border security and accommodate some 2.2 million Syrian refugees. The European Commission has already transferred some 500 million euros, with the rest to be contributed by EU member states. President Pavlopoulos confirmed that Greece would uphold its part of the deal to provide Turkey with funds – but only after Ankara delivers on its pledge to prevent migrants from crossing into Europe. "Turkey has so far not delivered," he said. The Greek president is in Berlin for three-way talks with his German counterpart Joachim Gauck and Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose open-door refugee policy he described as "daring." Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Ucom Celebrates Telecommunication Day May 17 commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on May 17, 1865. Armenian, Azerbaijani heads of parliament meet in Switzerland President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Border residents overnight on highway to protest Armenia’s Residents of Kirants continue to express outrage over the government’s decision to cede land to Azerbaijan. Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. |