The Greek authorities said on Sunday that the number of migrants reaching Greece hasn’t abated.

A statement from Athens said this was in spite of an agreement reached between the EU and Turkey to help stem the flow of people entering Europe, which went into effect at midnight Saturday.

“In the night between Saturday and Sunday, 875 people arrived on Greek islands from the Turkish coast.

“In the three days before, that figure varied between 239 and 1,498 people per day,’’ it said.

The deal between Turkey and the EU declared that those arriving on Greek shores can expect to be returned to Turkey as of midnight.

The agreement hinges on a one-for-one swap of Syrian migrants, with the EU promising to resettle the same number of Syrians living in Turkey, up to a limit of 72,000.

According to the deal, migrants illegally entering Greece from Turkey would be returned to Turkey starting in April, unless they can prove that they would be subject to persecution there.The authorities said there are 48,141 refugees in Greece at the moment, with about 7,316 on the nation’s many islands in the Aegean Sea.

It said more than 13,000 are in Athens and its port, Piraeus, and the rest are in camps in central and northern Greece. (dpa/NAN)

Leadership……

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