33 irregular migrants were rescued from an inflatable boat off the coast of the Kuşadası district in Turkey’s western Aydın province, Turkish Coast Guard Command said in a statement.

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

The rescued migrants included 29 Somalis, 2 Palestinians, and 2 Eritreans, 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)