ATHENS: Greece’s President Prokopis Pavlopoulos accused Turkish border authorities of facilitating people smuggling by turning a blind eye to the trafficking of thousands of migrants to Europe.
Human rights and aid organisations have raised similar concerns about the alleged complicity of Turkey’s border guards.
Mr Pavlopoulos, who was on a visit to Berlin, where he met German President Joachim Gauck, also accused Ankara of allowing thousands of migrants to head to Greece even though they were not bona fide refugees fleeing conflict.
Greece and Turkey, which have a historically difficult relationship, are on the frontlines of the crisis.
Greek islands in the Aegean Sea saw more than 800,000 migrants — many of them refugees fleeing war-torn Syria — land on their shores from Turkey last year, their first European Union stop on a journey to new lives in Germany, Sweden and elsewhere.
Turkey has taken in 2.2-million refugees from war-ravaged Syria.
Greek, Turkish and German leaders are due to hold a mini summit in Greece next month.
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