Immigration on the agenda in Greek-Turkish talks

Greek premier George Papandreou has received an unusually warm welcome in Turkey despite a host of awkward issues between the two neighbours.

As he met his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, immigration was expected to top the agenda.

Greece has said it wants to build a 12.5 kilometre fence on its Turkish border to prevent a wave of illegal immigrants. Athens has long complained that Ankara is not doing enough to stem the flow.

Reports today said two migrants bound for Greece had drowned. Last year, at least 44 migrants are believed to have died in the same border river.

The EU is far from convinced about the fence-building plan. A team from the bloc’s border agency is helping Greek police monitor the border area.

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