The migrants were aboard rubber boats that were forced back into Turkish territorial waters by Greek Coast Guard forces.

The rescue operation was carried out by the Turkish Coast Guard Command in İzmir, Balıkesir, and Muğla provinces. The migrants were taken to provincial migration offices for further processing and assistance.

The Turkish government has expressed strong disapproval of Greece's practice of pushing back irregular migrants into Turkish waters. The government considers this practice to be both illegal and endangering the lives of the migrants.

The rescue of the 97 irregular migrants is the latest in a series of successful operations carried out by the Turkish Coast Guard in recent months. The Turkish Coast Guard has been actively patrolling the Aegean Sea in response to the growing number of irregular migrants attempting to cross from Türkiye to Greece.

The Turkish government has called on Greece to end its practice of pushing back irregular migrants and to cooperate with Türkiye in finding a humane and sustainable solution to the migration crisis. (ILKHA)