Turkish units rescue dozens of migrants in Aegean Sea
ANKARA
The Turkish Coast Guard Command on Monday reported the rescue of 59 irregular migrants in the Aegean Sea, including 23 who were forcibly pushed back by Greece.
Among those rescued were 10 children, found adrift on a rubber boat pushed back by Greek authorities into Turkish waters near Karaburun, a district in the western province of İzmir.
In a separate incident, the coast guard came to the aid of 36 irregular migrants, including 12 children, whose rubber boat had experienced engine failure off the coast of Dikili, another district in İzmir.
All rescued individuals were transferred to the provincial migration directorate for processing.
Greece, a primary entry point into the European Union for refugees and migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa, has faced accusations from aid organizations of engaging in "pushbacks." This practice, deemed illegal, involves the forcible return of migrants at the country's sea and land borders.
729,000 migrants unaccounted for at registered addresses
Meanwhile, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated that 729,000 Syrians in Türkiye are not present at the addresses they previously declared.
“We have found that 729,000 out of 3.1 million Syrians are not residing at their registered addresses.” Yerlikaya said, adding that warnings in Turkish, English and Arabic have been sent to these individuals, instructing them to update their addresses.
They were initially given 90 days, followed by an additional two months, to comply. He warned that if they fail to update their addresses within this period, they will be deprived of access to services such as education and healthcare.
Yerlikaya also pointed out that figures related to regular and irregular migrants are made available to the public by the migration body every Saturday, emphasizing that it is nonsensical to claim that there are exponentially more regular and irregular migrants in Türkiye than these figures indicate.
He further noted that the number of regular migrants across the country stands at 4.4 million.