The first group of Syrian refugees arrived in Germany by plane from Turkey under a new deal between the European Union (EU) and Ankara to combat human trafficking and bring refugees under control, German police said on Monday.
The 16 refugees landed in the northern city of Hanover in the morning with a scheduled flight from Istanbul and as many were expected to arrive at the airport around 1015 GMT, a spokesman from the federal police said.
Meanwhile, Greece began returning refugees from the island of Lesbos to Turkey on Monday also under the deal aimed at stopping the uncontrollable influx of refugees into Europe since 2015. Under the EU-Turkey deal, Ankara will take back all refugees, including Syrians, who enter Greece illegally in return for the EU taking in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and rewarding it with more money, early visa-free travel and progress in its EU membership negotiations.
Two Turkish-flagged passenger boats carrying 131 refugees set sail from Lesbos to the Turkish town of Dikili as the sun rose over the Aegean Sea early on Monday, witness said.
