Turkey started to re-admit migrants from the Greek island of Lesbos on Monday under a landmark European Union deal aimed at stopping the influx of migrants and refugees into Europe since last year.
Under the EU-Turkey deal, Ankara will take back all migrants and refugees, including Syrians, who enter Greece illegally in return for the EU taking in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey.
Two Turkish-flagged passenger boats carrying 131 migrants set sail from Lesbos to the Turkish town of Dikili as the sun rose over the Aegean Sea early on Monday.
The first ferry named Nazlı Jale docked in Dikili at 9:20am (0620 GMT) with several dozen passengers on board.
Each migrant was accompanied by a plainclothes Frontex officer. They had been transported in a nighttime operation from the Lesbos island’s holding centre to the port. Greek riot police squads also boarded the boats.
The returnees were primarily from Pakistan and some from Bangladesh and they had not applied for asylum, said Ewa Moncure, a spokeswoman for EU border agency Frontex.
Asked if Syrians would be returned, she said: “At some point, but I don’t know when.”
Moncure said there were plans to return migrants from the nearby island of Chios as well but did not say when.
Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala has said Turkey was ready to receive 500 people Monday and that Greek authorities had provided 400 names, although these numbers could change.
“The readmission agreement will start from April 4,” Ala said on Saturday, adding that only those who left Turkey after March 20 will be eligible to be admitted. “I mean, not those who had left before [March 20],” he further added.
“Those who are from countries other than Syria, [namely] Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, will be transferred to refoulement centers from the minute we admit them from Greek islands,” Ala said.
After migrants are transferred to these centers, Turkish authorities will contact their respective countries, and they will be returned to their country of origin in line with readmission agreements signed with the aforementioned countries, he explained.
The first wave of returned migrants will arrive in the resort of Dikili, just opposite Lesbos. Tents have been put up by the town’s harbourside in anticipation of Monday’s arrivals, according to media reports.
Mustafa Toprak, governor of Turkey’s western Izmir region, said the migrants would only be staying briefly in Dikili and the resort of Çesme — a second reception point — before being moved on.
The operation to resettle Syrians to Europe under the one-for-one arrangement also starts Monday.
Germany expects to take in a first group of about 35 Syrians from Turkey on Monday, the German interior ministry said. Several dozen others are expected to arrive in France, Finland and Portugal, according to German government sources.