UN Data: 2021 Saw Fewer Migrants Reach Greek Islands

Migrants disembark a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel after being rescued at open sea, on the island of Chios, Greece, October 26, 2021. Dimitris Vouchouris/Eurokinissi via REUTERS
Migrants disembark a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel after being rescued at open sea, on the island of Chios, Greece, October 26, 2021. Dimitris Vouchouris/Eurokinissi via REUTERS
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UN Data: 2021 Saw Fewer Migrants Reach Greek Islands

Migrants disembark a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel after being rescued at open sea, on the island of Chios, Greece, October 26, 2021. Dimitris Vouchouris/Eurokinissi via REUTERS
Migrants disembark a Hellenic Coast Guard vessel after being rescued at open sea, on the island of Chios, Greece, October 26, 2021. Dimitris Vouchouris/Eurokinissi via REUTERS

The number of refugees and migrants arriving on Greece's East Aegean islands in 2021 hit its lowest level since the start of the refugee crisis in the Aegean some nine years ago.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Thursday, 4,109 people crossed from Turkey to the Greek islands last year. This compares to 9,714 the year before and just under 60,000 in 2019. At the height of the refugee crisis in 2015, 856,723 people crossed.

The Greek coastguard has been controlling the sea border with Turkey very strictly since 2019, dpa reported.

Human rights organizations complain that there are illegal pushbacks to Turkey. Athens repeatedly states that its security forces protect European borders in accordance with international law.

Because of these tight controls in the straits between Turkey and the Greek islands, smugglers and migrants have increasingly opted for new routes.

Around 11,000 people are said to have managed to reach Italy in recent months on a route from Turkey through the Aegean and Ionian seas. There are no official figures on how many people have died in the process, but the number is believed to be large.

In December alone, at least 30 people drowned on this route, according to the Greek coastguard.

Because of the long journey through the Mediterranean Sea south or north of Crete, according to the Greek coastguard, there are often engine failures or leaks on the often outdated boats that smuggling gangs sell to people.



South Korea Says Its Military Fired Warning Shots After North Korean Soldiers Crossed the Border 

South Korean army soldiers patrol along the barbed-wire fence in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, on Feb. 18, 2025. (AP)
South Korean army soldiers patrol along the barbed-wire fence in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, on Feb. 18, 2025. (AP)
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South Korea Says Its Military Fired Warning Shots After North Korean Soldiers Crossed the Border 

South Korean army soldiers patrol along the barbed-wire fence in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, on Feb. 18, 2025. (AP)
South Korean army soldiers patrol along the barbed-wire fence in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, on Feb. 18, 2025. (AP)

South Korea's military fired warning shots after North Korean soldiers crossed the rivals' tense border on Tuesday, South Korean officials said.

South Korea's military said in a statement that about 10 North Korean soldiers returned to the North after South Korea made warning broadcasts and fired warning shots. It said the North Korean soldiers violated the military demarcation line at the eastern section of the border at 5 p.m.

South Korea's military said it is closely monitoring North Korean activities.

Bloodshed and violent confrontations have occasionally occurred at the Koreas' heavily fortified border, called the Demilitarized Zone. But when North Korean troops briefly violated the border in June last year, it didn't escalate into a major source of tensions as South Korean officials assessed the soldiers didn't deliberately commit the border intrusion.

The motive for Tuesday's border crossing by North Korean soldiers wasn't immediately clear.

Animosities between the Koreas are running high now as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to flaunt his military nuclear capabilities and align with Russia over President Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine. Kim is also ignoring calls by Seoul and Washington to resume denuclearization negotiations.

Since his Jan. 20 inauguration, US President Donald Trump has said he would reach out to Kim again to revive diplomacy. North Korea has not responded to Trump's remarks and says US hostilities against it have deepened since Trump's inauguration.

South Korea, meanwhile, is experiencing a leadership vacuum after the ouster of President Yoon Suk Yeol last week over his ill-fated imposition of martial law.