Turkish leader: EU must act to forestall Afghan migrant wave

By ELENA BECATOROS and SUZAN FRASER
Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Turkey’s president has told Greece’s prime minister that the European Union should assist Afghans both inside Afghanistan and in neighboring countries if it wants to avoid a new influx of migrants. The two leaders discussed the situation in Afghanistan in a telephone call Friday. Both countries are raising concerns about a potential major influx of people fleeing the Taliban takeover. Meanwhile, Greece’s defense and citizens’ protection ministers headed to the border with Turkey to view border security systems set up over the past year and a half against possible migratory pressure. Athens has repeatedly said it will not allow a repetition of 2015, when hundreds of thousands of people crossed to Greek islands from the nearby Turkish coast.