Citizen's Protection Minister Christos Papoutsis on Monday again referred to the problem of illegal immigration faced by Greece, stressed that "in the past year Greece was called on to face the entry of about 128,000 illegal immigrants."
"From Turkey alone in the first 11 months of 2010 about 50,000 illegal immigrants came in, of whom 43,500 from the Evros prefecture. This is the tough reality and we have a responsibility towards Greek citizens to deal with it," he emphasised.
The minister reiterated that Athens will proceed with the construction of preventive means to block the entry of illegals, including fences along land borders with Turkey.
Moreover, Papoutsis charged that "it's hypocrisy when some have been condemning Greece for being unable to guard its borders, in accordance with the Schengen Treaty, to now appear as critics, because it (Greece) wants the self-evident, to strengthen the security of its borders."ANA
