Greece believes that European Union countries should cooperate to patrol the 25-nation bloc’s outer borders to prevent illegal immigration, Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras said yesterday.

Speaking in Parliament, Polydoras said that Greece had already offered to be responsible for guarding the EU’s eastern sea borders if Brussels would cover the cost of the operation.

The minister told MPs he feels the EU is not doing enough to tackle the problem that Greece faces with illegal immigrants trying to get into the country. He cited the fact that authorities were worried about a boatload of some 500 African migrants recently reaching the Canary Islands whereas little attention is paid to the fact that some 500 migrants attempt to reach Greece every week.

Polydoras also said he was concerned about the number of Asian and African migrants that Turkey is accepting. The minister said he would speak to Turkish Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu about the problem in the next few days.