Greece seeks assistance from rival Turkiye over migration spike along border river

A police border vehicle patrols along a border wall near the town of Feres, along the Evros River which forms the frontier between Greece and Turkey on Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)

ATHENS, Greece -

Greek officials have launched a series of high-level contacts with the newly elected government in Turkiye in an effort to counter a surge in attempted crossings by migrants over a river that divides the two countries.

Defense Minister Alkiviades Stephanis spoke on a call Wednesday with Turkish counterpart Yasar Guler, officials in Athens said, a day after the foreign ministers of the two countries also spoke. Guler and other members of the new Turkish government were appointed following the recent reelection victory of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Patrols along the Evros River on the Greek side of the border have been intensified following a recent drop in the water level that makes migrant crossings easier.

The two NATO members have a number of longstanding disputes, including sea boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean and efforts to curb illegal migration to the European Union.

Greece in the past has accused Turkiyeof "instrumentalizing" migration to push for concessions from the EU, but officials in both capitals have struck a more conciliatory tone in recent months.

Haralambos Lalousis, the Greek public order minister, said he didn't believe that Turkiyewas behind the latest spike in migrant crossings

"No, I don't think it is Turkiye," Lalousis said Tuesday on the eve of a tour of border areas.

Lalousis, a former Greek army chief and commander of forces based in the border region, said the armed forces were assisting patrols by the police.