ATHENS, Greece (AP) – A Greek government official said Wednesday that there was no sign yet that a deal between the European Union and Turkey to stop migrants coming to Europe has faltered since the attempted military coup in the country.
Daily arrivals by migrants and refugees at Greek islands near the Turkish coast have remained low since the July 15 coup attempt, government crisis committee spokesman Giorgos Kyritsis told The Associated Press.
But he said the Greek government had renewed requests to the EU to end delays in emergency funding and the implementation of a relocation program for migrants stranded in Greece.
Tension has risen between Turkey and the EU over alleged large-scale human rights abuses following the coup attempt and prompted concern that the migrant deal could collapse.
Austria’s foreign minister, long skeptical about the Turkey deal, told German weekly Der Spiegel that “we cannot sit back and hope that the deal with Turkey holds.”