Brussels, 15/10/2009 (Agence Europe) - The EU external border surveillance agency FRONTEX is asking Turkey to apply the agreement to accept immigrants retrieved from the Aegean Sea by the Greek government. On Tuesday 13 October 2009, the deputy director of FRONTEX, Gil Arias Fernandez, explained at a press conference that although there has been a drop in the number of illegal immigrants arriving in Greece by land (a 44% drop in the numbers arriving from Turkey, a 10% drop in arrivals from Albania and a 34% drop in arrivals from Macedonia), the Greek islands are still being reached by large numbers of illegal aliens. FRONTEX says that 59% of the immigrants who arrive in the EU illegally by sea come from the eastern Aegean Sea, mainly from the islands of Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Leros and Patmos, near Turkey's western coast. The number of illegal immigrants arriving in Greece by sea totalled 14,000 in the first six months of 2009, up 47% on the first six months of 2008, added Arias Fernandez. Most of the immigrants say they come from Afghanistan, Somalia or the Palestinian Territories. The main reason for the rising numbers of Turkey's refusal to apply the agreement to accept immigrants retrieved from the Aegean Sea by the Greek authorities, explained Arias Fernandez. He said that this was clearly one of the main reasons for the rising numbers and if Turkey cooperated with FRONTEX, then it would make things easier, but a raft of other factors are involved, like Greece's geographical location and the sheer extent of its sea borders. On Wednesday 14 October 2009, the chief of the Greek army said that a Finnish aircraft involved in a FRONTEX mission in Greek national airspace to the east of the small island of Farmaconissi had received two radio messages from a Turkish radar asking the crew to quit Turkish airspace. Turkey is challenging Greece's air traffic control zone limits and regularly sends such messages to aircraft flying close to the contested area. The Finnish aircraft continued its mission as planned. Several MEPs have recently protected against the harassment of FRONTEX helicopters, aircraft and ships by the Turkish authorities. (B.C. trans fl)