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| - Greece will reinforce police patrols on its border with Turkey, an official said Wednesday as the country braces for an expected new influx of migrants. An additional 400 police will be sent to the northeastern Evros river border region "as a precautionary measure", police spokesman Thodoros Chronopoulos told AFP. The border area was the scene of clashes in March after Turkey said it would no longer prevent asylum-seekers from reaching the European Union. In skirmishes that went on for days, migrants trying to cross the border threw stones at Greek riot police who fired tear gas at them. Turkish authorities evacuated the asylum seekers nearly a month later, and Greek state TV said a makeshift camp where they were staying was set on fire, amid fears of a coronavirus contagion. On Tuesday, Greek Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos told Skai TV that Athens was aware of "certain statements that suggest we will face pressure on our borders again, especially our land borders." Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias elaborated to Thema radio on Wednesday: "Sadly, there are statements by Turkish officials to the effect that once the coronavirus season is over, (asylum seeker crossings) will not be prevented by Turkey." After the attempted asylum-seeker surge in March, Athens said it would extend a border fence in the area, a move that has created a new dispute with Ankara. Turkey says it should be consulted about the fence expansion, noting that the Evros riverbed "has significantly changed due to natural and artificial reasons" since the border was established in 1926. Ankara says "technical coordination" is required, and that it would not allow any "fait accompli" on its border. Greece counters that the frontier is unchanged, and that it is not obliged to consult Turkey about infrastructure on its own side of the border. "The fence is on Greek soil, beyond any doubt, and with room to spare," the Greek foreign minister said Wednesday. Dendias over the weekend had also dismissed as "utterly false" reports that Turkish troops had temporarily moved onto a patch of Greek land in the area. hec/jph/gd
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