Greece will erect a barbed-wire fence along a 10-kilometre (six-mile) stretch of its border with Turkey to keep out illegal immigrants, the Greek Citizen’s Protection Ministry announced on Friday. According to the announcement, the fence, which has been under discussion for several months, is going to be constructed with European Union funding, the total cost of which will reach some 5.5 million Euros.
It is also expected that the Ministry will call for bids on the project before the end of September.
The government plans two raise parallel barriers in barbed-wire, each running for some 10.3 kilometres and 2.5 to 3.0 metres (eight to 10 feet) high, and according to reports they will be built near the border crossing at Kastanies, the busiest crossing between the two countries.
The Greek-Turkish border runs along the north-eastern part of the country, or has a distance of some 150 kilometres. It has become a primary crossing point for illegal immigrants trying to get into the European Union via Greece. While Turkey has not opposed the project, the European Commission did initially express reservations when Athens first announced it back in mid January of this year.