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 Foça district of Izmir province. They were drifted at sea after their boat had been pushed back to Turkish territorial waters by Greek assets. 25 irregular migrants were rescued by CG boat,” the statement said.

Historically, Turkey has been a country of origin, transit, and destination for migrants and was a crossroads between Europe and Asia.

Recent regional events have contributed to Turkey increasingly becoming a major destination and transit country for those fleeing conflict, poverty, and disasters.

Turkey hosts one of the largest migrant and refugee populations in the world. 

According to the official reports, 113,865 irregular migrants held across the country in 2020. (ILKHA)