"It was reported that there was a group of irregular migrants on lifeboats off the coast of İzmir’s Çeşme district. They were left to Turkish territorial waters by Greek assets. 40 irregular migrants on 2 lifeboats were rescued by CG boats," 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)