There were barely several hundred the day before. On Saturday 29 February, some 13,000 migrants flocked along the Greek-Turkish border after threats by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to let out refugees wanting to go to Europe, announced the International Organization for migrations (IOM).
"At least 13,000 people are present along the 212 km of the border (at the official border entry points at Pazarkule and Ipsala) ", specifies the agency of the United Nations (UN).
The green light to open migration borders with Europe was given informally on Friday after an extraordinary security council was held under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Furious at the deaths of thirty-three of its soldiers on Thursday in Idlib province, in Syria, and demanding active support from the European Union (EU) in its standoff with Russia, Turkey "Has no choice but to loosen its policy of containment of refugees", had announced, Friday, Fahrettin Altun, the director of communication of the presidential palace.
"We are not going to close the doors," says Erdogan.
IOM teams follow the population movement from Istanbul and provide aid to the most vulnerable among them. "The number of migrants from Edirne (northwest of Turkey) to cross the border gets bigger during the day as cars, taxis and buses arrive in Istanbul "said the head of the IOM Turkish mission Lado Gvilava. "Most of them are men, but we also see families with young children", he added.
Lado Gvilava said IOM distributes basic food and supplies, but with the freezing temperatures, he said. “Concerned about these fragile and exposed people (…)”
Buses crowded with migrants hoping to enter Europe continued to pour into the evening in Istanbul. And Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday: "What did we do yesterday? We opened the doors. We are not going to close the doors. "
On the border between Turkey and Greece, the situation was tense on Saturday, with scuffles between Greek police officers firing tear gas canisters and migrants throwing stones.
