Greece will building a 36-kilometer wall along its northeastern border with Turkey to prevent migrants from crossing into the European Union.
The country said it expects the wall to be completed by the end of April next year.
Greek government spokesman, Stelios Petsas, said Monday that the plan will be to extend the existing 10-kilometer section of a fence already on the northeastern border. An additional 26 kilometers of the wall will be built around the border, which will cost the country an estimated $74 million.
Officials have reportedly already picked four Greece-based construction companies to take on the project. The new wall will be running along or close to the Evros River, which is the natural barrier that separates it from Turkey.
Earlier in the year, a standoff between migrants and Greek authorities occurred after thousands of migrants were caught trying to cross into the EU.
Relations between Turkey and Greece have also soured over the years after the two countries failed to settle their dispute over their respective energy rights in the eastern Mediterranean. The dispute has led to a dangerous military buildup on both sides, with residents fearing an armed conflict if the situation escalates any further.
Turkey currently hosts the largest number of refugees, with an estimated 4 million non-residents. Most of the refugees have come from Syria. Turkey previously accused Greece of illegally pushing back migrants, an accusation that Greece had vehemently denied.
Contractors for the wall plan to use five-meter galvanized square steel tubes with concrete foundations to build the barrier. According to Greece's public order ministry, the country will also be installing a surveillance camera network that will be running through the entire length of the border wall. High-powered mobile sirens will also be installed in an attempt to deter migrants from crossing the wall when they are caught on camera.
"The cameras will be a vital resource for us. We have been asking for them for five years and we think they will be very effective," the head of police in the Greek border, Ilias Akidis, told reporters Monday.
