Turkish coast guards saved the lives of irregular migrants illegally pushed back by Greek coast guards in the Aegean Sea toward Türkiye, the country's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

"On Aug. 9, 2022, a Turkish Navy UAV detected irregular migrants being transferred to an inflatable boat and pushed back toward Turkish territorial waters by the Greek Coast Guard in the east of the island of Sisam (Samos) in the Aegean Sea. The situation was immediately reported to the Turkish Coast Guard which rescued the irregular migrants," the Turkish Defense Ministry stated on Twitter.

The Turkish Coast Guard said in a statement on Tuesday that 54 irregular migrants who were pushed back by Greece were rescued off the coast of Karaburun in Izmir province.