IZMIR: Turkish Coast Guard units rescued at least 43 irregular migrants pushed back by Greece in two separate incidents off Turkey’s western and southwestern coasts.
In the Dikili district of Izmir province, the coast guard rescued 38 irregular migrants on a rubber dinghy who were pushed by Greek forces in the Aegean Sea, the Coast Guard Command said in a statement.
Separately, five others were pushed back by Greece into Turkish waters were rescued off the district of Datça in Muğla province.
Greece pushed some 889 boats carrying irregular migrants back into Turkish territorial waters in 2021 while 25,668 migrants were rescued by the Turkish Coast Guard Command units.
International organizations and Turkey have repeatedly condemned Greece’s illegal practice of pushing back asylum-seekers, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children. Turkey’s five Aegean provinces – Çanakkale, Balıkesir, Izmir, Muğla and Aydın – are prime spots for refugees leaving Turkey for the European Union, with Greek islands lying within sight of the Turkish coast.
In recent years, hundreds of thousands have made short but perilous journeys across the Aegean in a bid to reach northern and western Europe in search of a better life. Hundreds of people have died at sea as a number of boats carrying refugees sank or capsized. The Turkish Coast Guard Command has rescued thousands of others.
Pushbacks are considered contrary to international refugee protection agreements, which dictate that people should not be expelled or returned to a country where their life and safety might be in danger due to their race, religion, nationality or membership in a social or political group.
