Tensions between Turkey and Greece over deadly shooting on the border river
The death of a Turkish citizen by gunfire from the Greek side on the Evros border river separating Turkey and Greece has caused diplomatic tensions between the neighbouring countries, with Ankara summoning the Greek embassy's chargé d'affaires, Elena Vakali, to express its protest.
The shooting took place when two residents of the village of Adasarhanli on the Turkish side of the border, about 70 kilometres south of the provincial capital of Edirne, were standing on the bank of the Evros River, Turkey's Anadolu Agency reports.
One of them, 43-year-old Mehmet Durgun, was hit in the face by a bullet and died on the spot, the agency said.
Turkish daily Hürriyet reports that the two men were approaching an islet in the river to retrieve a boat used for smuggling migrants and had an altercation with people in civilian clothes on the Greek side, before being shot with a gun.
The foreign ministry summoned Vakali to protest the incident and demand an investigation into the matter, the capture and punishment of those responsible and reparations for the victim's family, Turkish news agency Anadolu reports.
The most serious incident occurred in early March 2020, when Turkish authorities were facilitating the arrival of thousands of migrants on the Evros River, sometimes assisted by local smugglers.
Greek patrols used tear gas and rubber bullets to repel attempts to cross and according to numerous testimonies subjected those who managed to reach Greek territory to ill-treatment and then returned them to the Turkish side.
The Turkish authorities claim that two refugees were shot dead during these incidents, although Athens has denied any responsibility in this regard.
The Greek government and police rejected Ankara's accusations of Greek involvement in the death of a Turkish citizen at the land border between the two countries.
The Greek embassy's chargé d'affaires Elena Vakali pointed out to the Turkish side "the latter's obligation to guard its borders and not to allow the activity of traffickers and illegal immigration".
The Greek police also issued a brief statement assuring that there was no involvement of Greek forces in the alleged incident.
While Greek media speak of a clash between people involved in migrant smuggling, some Turkish newspapers claim that the man was shot by "Greek soldiers patrolling" the border and other "Greek men in civilian clothes".
The Evros river, surrounded by forests and with a riverbed divided by numerous islets, is an area of frequent passage for refugees and migrants trying to cross into the EU, something that has repeatedly provoked tensions between Ankara and Athens.
