Sixty asylum-seekers returned to Turkey from Greece under EU deal

Published October 16th, 2016 - 01:00 GMT
People walk at the Souda municipality-run refugee camp, on the island of Chios on October 13, 2016. (AFP/Louisa Gouliamaki)
People walk at the Souda municipality-run refugee camp, on the island of Chios on October 13, 2016. (AFP/Louisa Gouliamaki)

Greece has returned a group of 60 migrants to Turkey, the Greek ministry of public order and citizen protection announced Friday.

Afghanistan, Algeria, Iran, Morocco, Palestine, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka nationals were sent from the Greek island of Lesbos to the coastal town of Dikili in Turkey's western Izmir province on Thursday as part of a EU-Turkey migrant deal, the ministry said in a statement.

Among them were five Turkish citizens who travelled to Greece illegally, it said, adding the Turkish nationals were returned as part of a readmission agreement between the two countries.

According to an EU-Turkey deal to prevent mass migration to Europe, Turkey is to readmit all irregular migrants crossing into the Greek islands from the country.

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