Brussels, 18/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 15 November, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) criticised the fact that EU countries are returning Syrian refugees, and he pointed his finger at Greece and Bulgaria.
“Push-backs and prevention of entry can put asylum-seekers at further risk and expose them to additional trauma”, said UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards, according to French news agency, AFP. He said he was particularly concerned by the situation of a group of 150 Syrians, including families with children, which was refused entry at Evros in Greece on Tuesday. They were coming from Turkey. As regards Bulgaria, the UNHCR said investigations were being made regarding around 100 Syrian refugees who were reportedly denied entry to Bulgaria last week. “Introducing barriers, like fences or other deterrents, might lead people to undertake more dangerous crossings and further place refugees at the mercy of smugglers,” Edwards said. He also said that he is concerned about news that Syrian refugees are being returned to Turkey by the Turkish Cypriot state.
“UNHCR is calling for a global moratorium on any return of Syrians to neighbouring countries,” Edwards said, stating that this would represent “a concrete gesture of solidarity” with these countries. The spokesperson also said that the EU must ensure a fair distribution of refugees across the whole of Europe and that EU states with external borders should not shoulder the burden of the Syrian refugee influx alone (only Greece and Bulgaria have land borders with Turkey). (LC/transl.fl)