Greece will dispatch two frigates and a support vessel off Libya’s coast to curb rising migrant flows, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Monday.
The naval deployment, coordinated with Libyan authorities and European forces, comes amid a sharp uptick in sea arrivals to Crete and Gavdos.
More than 800 migrants have attempted the perilous crossing from northeastern Libya since Thursday, according to government figures.
Speaking to President Constantine Tassoulas, Mitsotakis described the situation as “alarming” following a national security council meeting on Sunday.
“I have instructed the defence minister to deploy naval forces off Libya to signal that traffickers will not dictate entry into Greece,” Mitsotakis said.
The three vessels are set to depart in the coming days, two senior government officials told Reuters.
Since 2015, Greece has been a key entry point to the European Union for migrants from the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Although arrivals from Turkey have decreased in recent years, crossings from Libya have surged, driven by instability in Sudan and migration through Egypt.
Many of those reaching Greece’s southern islands are Sudanese, Egyptian, and Bangladeshi nationals fleeing conflict and poverty.
Athens and Cairo have been in talks to address the growing migration flows from Libya.
Relations between Greece and Libya have slowly improved after tensions over a 2019 maritime accord between Libya’s government and Turkey.
The latest naval move underscores Greece’s determination to control its borders amid Europe’s ongoing migration crisis.