The Turkish Coast Guard rescued 30 irregular migrants in the Aegean Sea on Tuesday after Greek officials illegally drove them back into Turkish territorial seas.
Coast guard forces discovered illegal migrants in a rubber boat off the coast of western Izmir province’s Dikili district.
Following their arrival at the coast, the migrants were escorted to the provincial migration office for routine procedures.
Turkey and worldwide rights organizations have frequently denounced Greece’s unlawful practice of turning back irregular migrants, claiming that it breaches humanitarian standards and international law by putting vulnerable migrants’ lives in risk, notably women and children.
Turkey has been a major transit hub for irregular migrants wanting to enter Europe and begin new lives, particularly those fleeing conflict and persecution.