116 migrants pushed into Turkish waters by Greece rescued
Greece’s controversial pushback practice resurfaced on Monday, with authorities announcing that 116 illegal migrants who had been pushed back into Turkish territorial waters had been rescued.
Coast Guard units have found 35 migrants, including a child, in a dinghy off the Karaburun district of the western Izmir province in the Aegean region, the Turkish Coast Guard Command said in a statement. In a separate statement, the Coast Guard Command said its units from the same district also rescued 44 migrants, including five children. In another rescue mission off the Dalaman district of the western Muğla province, Coast Guard units rescued 37 migrants, including 19 children.
Turkey is a key transit point for asylum seekers seeking to reach Europe to start a new life, especially those fleeing war and persecution. Ankara and international human rights groups have repeatedly condemned Greece’s illegal actions, saying they violate humanitarian values and international law as they endanger the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of migrants flee civil wars or economic hardship in their home countries in the hope of reaching Europe through Turkey. Some migrants embark on a dangerous journey over land or sea with the help of smugglers, who often abandon them, especially on the sea journey, after receiving thousands of dollars from each migrant. Turkish security forces stop others before they cross the border into Europe.
Recent statistics show that between 2010 and 2023, Turkey rescued 184,175 illegal migrants from its waters after they risked their lives in the hope of reaching Europe. However, during the same period, 923 migrants died on dangerous journeys, while 503 people remain missing after their boats sank. Last month, Turkish authorities recovered the bodies of seven illegal migrants. 18 others were rescued in the Aegean Sea off the coast of a small island after their boat was pushed back by Greek security forces and sank with 27 people on board.
During the summer drought, smuggling gangs repeatedly try to bring migrants across the shallow waters of the river – Maritsa in Greek, Meriç in Turkish – from Turkey to Greece and thus into the EU. Greece is currently building a fence along this border to prevent illegal border crossings.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 3,168 people have taken this route from Turkey to Greece since the beginning of the year up to July 14.
Relations between Greece and Turkey are often strained over the issue, and the Turkish coast guard has repeatedly accused the Greek side of mistreating migrants. Greece has angrily denied the allegations, arguing that its border guards have rescued hundreds of thousands of migrants from sinking boats.
