Turkey says it rescues 137 irregular migrants off Aegean Sea coast
137 irregular migrants were rescued from inflatable boats in three separate incidents off the coast of Turkey’s western Izmir province, Turkish Coast Guard Command said in a statement.
The boats carrying irregular migrants were pushed back to Turkish territorial waters by Greek Coast Guard forces, according to the statement.
The rescued migrants, including Afghan, Somali, Palestinian and Yemeni nationals, were sent to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management after their official procedures were completed.
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)