Turkey claims to have rescued nearly 400 migrants in the waters of the Aegean Sea

Dec. 27 () –

The Turkish authorities have claimed to have rescued nearly 400 migrants in the waters of the Aegean Sea during the day on Monday and have again accused Greece of pushing many of them into its waters to prevent them from reaching Greek shores.

The Turkish Coast Guard has detailed that 384 migrants were rescued in a series of operations off the coast of Canakkale, Aydin, Balikesir, Mugla and Izmir provinces.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that during the year the authorities have prevented the irregular crossing of 256,000 migrants, according to the Turkish state news agency, Anatolia.

Turkey accuses Athens of illegally expelling ships arriving from Turkish shores from its waters. Tension has risen in recent months in the eastern Mediterranean area as Greece and Turkey embark on a maritime dispute over hydrocarbon exploration in the area. Both countries are also at odds over Cyprus.