Minister in Evros overseeing efforts to bolster border

Citizens' Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis was in northeastern Greece on Friday to meet with officials and check on the measures being taken to strengthen patrols along the border with Turkey, as an estimated 800-1,000 refugees and migrants gathered on the other side of the frontier.

"The borders of this country are inviolable, which is why there is no reason for these unfortunate people to gather at our borders, at our customs crossings, anticipating entry into Greek and European territory," said Chrysochoidis, who was accompanied on his visit by the chief of the National Defense General Staff General, Konstantinos Floros.

Patrols along the land and river border in Evros have been bolstered since Friday morning, when the first large groups of migrants began to arrive following an announcement on Thursday night by a Turkish government official saying that...