According to the statement, the boat carrying 16 irregular migrants was pushed back to Turkish territorial waters by Greek Coast Guard forces.

“It was reported that there was a group of irregular migrants on a boat off the Çeşme district of Izmir province. They were drifted at sea after their boat had been pushed back to Turkish territorial waters by Greek assets. 16 irregular migrants were rescued by CG boat,” the statement said.

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

According to the official reports, 113,865 irregular migrants were held across the country in 2019. (ILKHA)