Refugees watch a boat come into the harbour at Lesvos. Picture by Victor Roman.Greece is obligated to do so under the EU-Turkey deal agreed on 20 March 2016 where Turkey agreed to take back migrants and police its borders in exchange for $6bn and improved visa conditions for Turks in Europe.
The deal was intended to curb the flow of migrants arriving from Turkey to Greece and Italy. The effect has been short-lived. The recent attempted coup in Turkey led to the withdrawal of Turkish police and liaison officers from the Greek islands and saw a new rise in arrivals.
Last week Lesvos received over 600 new arrivals, many of them children. A now familiar scene, they were met on the shoreline by strangers bearing space blankets. They were taken to the Moria refugee camp on the outskirts of Mytilene, the capital of Lesvos. Refugees are detained there for up to 25 days after which they can exit the camp but cannot leave the island.
