MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th August, 2020) Turkey has rescued 42 asylum seekers stranded in the Aegean Sea while trying to reach Greece's Lesbos island, the official Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday, citing security sources.
The media outlet claimed that the Greek coast guard pushed the irregular migrants back into Turkey's territorial waters, upon which they were rescued off the coast of the Ayvalik district in the Balikesir province.
A group of 38 Somalians, two Kenyans and two Syrians were subsequently taken to the provincial migration authority, the news agency noted.
Turkey is often used by refugees, migrants and asylum seekers as a transit point to enter Europe, especially since the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011. According to the UN refugee agency, Turkey hosts approximately four million refugees � more than any other country.
Ankara often claims that Athens deliberately abandons asylum seekers and sends them back into Turkish waters, while Greece accuses Turkey of intentionally pushing migrants to the European Union for political reasons.
