Evros border fence ready ‘in a few months’ time,’ minister says
Construction of a border fence at the Evros land border with Turkey is proceeding and the project will be ready in a few months' time, Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chryssochoidis says.
In an interview with Skai Sunday, Chryssochoidis said that, at the moment, at least, Turkey is not engaging in provocative actions and that, in any case, the government is "absolutely calm."
Chryssochoidis noted that Greece has "become a European symbol of border protection" and that the Evros front is guarded by army, police and Frontex forces.
With the hiring of 400 more border guards underway, "the border situation will markedly improve," the minister said.
Ask about efforts to fight crime, Chryssochoidis noted that police patrols are making their presence felt after many years.
He added that police had suffered through a decade of neglect in acquiring new equipment and that, since July, 1,500 patrol cars and over 15,000 bullet-proof vests had been acquired.
Chryssochoidis has served as Citizen Protection minister three times since 2009, as well as during 1999-2003, when he dismantled the nearly three-decade-old November 17 terrorist organization ahead of the 2004 Athens Olympics.
[Skai/Kathimerini]
