Properties priced between €5,000 and €20,000 are being massively sold to Turkish, Bulgarian, and other foreign hands in border and defense zones, as a legislative gap dating back to 2011 has whetted the appetite for the accumulation of Greek assets by foreigners. Muslims have appeared en masse to acquire housing in Northern Evros, while companies of Bulgarian and Turkish interests – along with EU passport holders, mostly of Turkish origin – are buying land and property in remote villages at minimal cost, while local leaders are sounding the alarm over an impending “silent settlement” in areas of vital interest that are gradually being emptied of Greek inhabitants.

Turkey will build a border fence along its frontier with Greece, according to Edirne province governor Yunus Sezer.

The Greek government has launched a demographic development program to boost population growth and economic activity in the Evros region by offering financial incentives for permanent relocation.