Turkish coast guard says it rescues 8 irregular migrants off Aegean Sea coast

8 irregular migrants were rescued from an inflatable boat off the coast of Turkey’s western Muğla province, Turkish Coast Guard Command said in a statement on Friday.

Ekleme: 07.01.2022 12:10:22 / Güncelleme: 07.01.2022 12:10:22 / English News / Muğla Haberleri
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The boats carrying irregular migrants were pushed back to Turkish territorial waters by Greek Coast Guard forces, according to the statement.

The rescued migrants 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, the Turkish coast guard intercepted 21473 irregular migrants in 2021, up from 19368 in 2020. (ILKHA)