Greece finalises plan to build a wall on its border with Turkey

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at a presentation of the construction of a new part of a wall which will be built at the border with Turkey, in Alexandroupolis, northern Greece. Photos / AP

Greece's Government says it has finalised plans to build a wall along its northeast border with Turkey, over concerns that migrants may try to stage mass crossings into the European Union country.

Government spokesman Stelios Petsas said that 26km of wall would be added to an existing 10km section of fence in a 63-million-euro project due to be completed by the end of April.

A standoff occurred at the border earlier this year after Turkey said it would no longer prevent migrants trying to reach the EU, and tens of thousands tried to cross into Greece.

The two countries are also at odds over energy rights in the eastern Mediterranean in a dispute that has triggered a dangerous military build-up in the region and fears of conflict.

Four Greek construction companies have been selected to build the new wall and upgrade the existing section of fencing, running along or close to the Evros River, which forms much of the border between the two countries.

The 5m wall will be made using galvanised square steel tubes and concrete foundations, according to Greece's Public Order Ministry.

Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, left, Greek Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos, right, and Armed Forces chief Lieutenant-General Konstantinos Floros.

Police officials said that a surveillance camera network was also planned to cover the entire 192km Greek-Turkish border, while police have already started trials with high-powered mobile sirens, aimed at deterring migrants as they attempt to cross

"The cameras will be a vital resource for us," Ilias Akidis, head of the police officers' association in the Greek border region, told AP.

"We have been asking for them for five years and we think they will be very effective."

The number of migrants and refugees travelling from Turkey to Greece fell sharply this year during the pandemic and after the border standoff prompted tougher border policing.

Turkey has accused Greece of illegally pushing back migrants reaching its islands in the eastern Aegean Sea, a charge that Athens denies.

Turkey hosts the largest number of refugees worldwide, at nearly four million people, mostly from Syria, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the border region at the weekend after a test installation of a section of the new wall.

- AP