Greek lawmakers to vote on North Africa asylum ban as rights groups cry foul
Greece, one of the main gateways into the EU for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa, has taken an increasingly tough stand on migration since Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' centre-right New Democracy came to power in 2019, building a fence at its northern land borders and boosting sea patrols in the east.
However, sea arrivals of migrants travelling from northeastern Libya to its southern islands of Crete and Gavdos, the closest European territory to North Africa, have surged this year.
Dozens, including children, sat on mattresses in a temporary reception centre in Agyia, near the city of Chania, on Thursday. There were among hundreds rescued by the Greek coastguard in the Libyan Sea off Crete in recent days.
"We are experiencing what I would call the worst crisis of the past two years," said Vasilis Katsikandarakis, head of the coastguard staff in western Crete.
"All the burden has fallen on the coastguard, who don't have the necessary equipment and personnel to deal with the flows."
Human rights groups said the proposed three-month asylum ban would violate international and European law, and called on the Greek government to recall it.
"Seeking refuge is a human right. Preventing people from doing so is illegal and inhumane," the International Rescue Committee.
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis denied the law change was illegal and said it was meant to deter migrants.
Mitsotakis met European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Malta's Prime Minister Robert Abela on Thursday to discuss the issue on the sidelines of a conference in Rome.
They agreed to work on resending an EU delegation to Libya to revive a visit which was aborted when the parallel government of Osama Hamad, which controls the east and large areas of the south, denied them entry.
Reuters
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Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and US President Donald Trump shake hands before a meeting in Helsinki on July 16, 2018. The two leaders will be meeting on August 15, 2025 in Alaska. Image: AFP Dmitry Suslov On Friday, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will meet in Alaska. This will be the first full-scale Russia-US summit since June 2021 in Geneva, and the first official visit by a Russian president to American soil since Dmitry Medvedev's trip in 2010 at the height of the 'reset.' It will also be the first time the leaders of Russia and the US have met in Alaska, the closest US state to Russia, separated only by the narrow Bering Strait, and once part of the Russian Empire. The symbolism is obvious: as far as possible from Ukraine and Western Europe, but as close as possible to Russia. And neither Zelensky nor the EU's top brass will be in the room. The message could not be clearer – Moscow and Washington will make the key decisions on Ukraine, then inform others later. As Trump has said, 'they hold all the cards.' From Geneva to Alaska: A shift in tone The Alaska summit marks a sharp departure from the Biden years, when even the idea of such a meeting was unthinkable and Washington's priority was isolating Russia. Now, not only will Putin travel to Alaska, but Trump is already planning a return visit to Russia. Moderate optimism surrounds the meeting. Summits of this type are rarely held 'just to talk'; they usually cap a long process of behind-the-scenes negotiations. The idea for this one emerged after three hours of talks in Moscow on August 6 between Putin and Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov described Washington's offer as 'very acceptable.' That suggests Putin and Trump will arrive in Alaska with a preliminary deal – or at least a framework for a truce – already in place. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. 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His effort to squeeze Moscow by pushing China and India to stop buying Russian oil has backfired badly. Far from isolating Russia, it triggered the worst US-India crisis in 25 years and drove New Delhi even closer to Moscow. It also encouraged a thaw between India and China, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi now set to attend the SCO summit in Tianjin. BRICS, which Trump has openly vowed to weaken, has only grown more cohesive. The Alaska summit is Trump's chance to escape the trap he built for himself – trying to pressure Moscow through Beijing and New Delhi – and to show results on Ukraine that he can sell as a diplomatic victory. Why Russia does too For Moscow, a successful summit would be a powerful demonstration that talk of 'isolation' is obsolete – even in the West. It would cement Russia's standing with the 'global majority' and highlight Western Europe's diminished influence. The transatlantic split would widen, weakening Brussels' claim to be Russia's toughest opponent. 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