The boats carrying 24 irregular migrants were pushed back to Turkish territorial waters by Greek Coast Guard forces, according to the statement.

They were rescued off the coast of the Marmaris district of Muğla and Aydın provinces in the two separate incidents.

Turkey has traditionally been a major transit port for irregular immigrants to enter the European countries.

According to the official reports, 454,662 irregular migrants held across the country in 2019. (ILKHA)