Greece rescues hundreds of migrants over weekend off islands of Gavdos and Crete

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ATHENS (Reuters) -Greece has rescued hundreds of migrants off its southern islands of Gavdos and Crete in five separate incidents since Friday, its coastguard said on Sunday.

More than 430 migrants were spotted and rescued about 25 nautical miles off Gavdos, Greece’s southernmost island, on Sunday, the coastguard said in a statement.

In a separate incident, also on Sunday, the European Union’s Frontex border agency rescued 96 migrants on board two boats off Crete, the coastguard said. The migrants are now being taken to Crete, Greece’s largest and most populous island.

Sea arrivals from northeastern Libya of migrants trying to cross to Europe have surged in recent months. They mainly come from the Middle East and North Africa, including nationals from war-torn Sudan and citizens of Egypt and Bangladesh.

Last month Athens said it would deploy two frigates near Libyan territorial waters to help stem the flow. It also urged Libya to cooperate more closely with Greece and the EU to stop migrants sailing from there or turn them back before they exit Libyan territorial waters.

In another incident on Sunday, a Greek media outlet published footage showing dozens of migrants jumping off a speed boat into the water before reaching the shores of southern Crete.

Greece and Libya have been trying to mend relations strained by an accord signed in 2019 between the Libyan government and Turkey.

Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis travelled to Benghazi on Sunday to discuss migration with eastern Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar. 

“We will continue our undisturbed relationship… and we hope that in the near future we will have tangible results for the progress of our relations,” Gerapetritis was quoted by his ministry as saying after meeting Haftar.

(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou, Alkis Konstantinidis and Renee MaltezouEditing by Gareth Jones)