Greece says many migrants in Turkey could seek asylum there

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece has designated neighboring Turkey as a safe country in which to seek asylum for the vast majority of asylum-seekers departing its shores for Greece. A joint decree from the Greek foreign and migration ministries says the designation applies to asylum-seekers from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Somalia. Monday’s decree said these nationalities face no danger in Turkey on grounds of their race, religion, citizenship or political beliefs, and can therefore seek asylum there rather than in Greece. Greece and Turkey are historic regional rivals, and military tensions rose dangerously last year over marine boundaries. Although a record 1 million people entered European Union member Greece through Turkey in 2015, flows have since been greatly reduced.