Physician leaders issue plea to Turkey and Greece on border dispute

Physician leaders representing doctors across the world have written to the President of Turkey and the Prime Minister of Greece expressing their deep distress about the escalation of the humanitarian crisis on the border between Turkey and Greece.

Dr. Miguel Jorge, President of the World Medical Association, and Dr. Frank Montgomery, who is both Chair of the WMA and President of the Standing Committee of European Doctors, called on all authorities involved to safeguard the human rights of everyone in the border region.

Their letter to President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan states: ‘To achieve this, it is also necessary to act against the publication of false information and the instrumentalisation of migrants in political negotiations. We urge all parties to respect international human rights law and work towards an urgent resolution of the situation’.

In their letter to the Prime Minister of Greece Mr Kyriakos Mitsotakis they add ‘Action is most urgent to protect the most vulnerable migrants, in particular children, from any further violence’.