Turkish coast guard officers in Izmir, a western province on Türkiye's Aegean coastline, announced that 203 irregular migrants were taken to shore after they were picked up at sea. Some 181 among them were pushed back to Turkish waters by Greece, while another 22 migrants were trying to reach the Greek islands a few nautical miles away from the Turkish coast.

The migrants pushed back were discovered off the coasts of the Izmir districts of Seferihisar, Menderes, Karaburun and Çeşme aboard six lifeboats and four dinghies. The 22 migrants found off the coast of Seferihisar were trying to reach Greece around the same time. All of those rescued were taken to a center for migrants operated by the Izmir branch of the Directorate of Migration Management.

Greece has blocked over 150,000 undocumented migrants trying to cross its land and maritime border so far this year, Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said Sunday.

"The entry of 154,102 irregular migrants was averted since the start of the year. Around 50,000 attempted to invade Greece in August alone," Mitarachi told Eleftheros Typos daily.

Border control is a top priority for the conservative Greek government that came to power in 2019, and will seek reelection next year.

Last month, the government announced plans to extend a 40-kilometer (25-mile) wall along the Greek-Turkish border near the Maritsa (Meriç) River by another 80 kilometers as part of efforts to control the flow of migrants. It will also install thermal cameras and deploy an additional 250 border guards.

Greece is often the country of choice for people fleeing Africa and the Middle East to try to reach a better life in the European Union.

Thousands come via Türkiye by crossing the Meriç River, and over the narrow and perilous Aegean Sea crossing separating the traditional rivals.

Charity groups have accused Athens of illegally turning back migrants or forcing them over the border to Türkiye, something Greece's conservative government has repeatedly denied. Mitarachi on Sunday denied Athens was involved in illegal pushbacks.

Illegal, or irregular migration as it is officially called, remains a thorn in the side of Türkiye, which sits at the crossroads of three continents. Despite boosted patrols at sea and on land, the country still struggles with an influx of migrants from the Middle East, Africa and Asia looking to reach Europe, a destination where a growing opposition to migrants fails to deter the desperate ones whose only option is migration. Either fleeing poverty or prevailing conflicts, thousands arrive in Türkiye every year to take their chance at illegally crossing into Europe.

The country at the same time has assumed a leading role in saving the lives of irregular migrants, particularly in the Mediterranean. In the last two years alone, it saved the lives of 41,000 people, most of them illegally pushed back by Greece.

Türkiye has ramped up action against illegal migration, leaving Europe behind, with a successful deportation rate of 67%, the country’s Directorate of Migration Management said last week.

"The number of irregular migrants deported since the beginning of the year has increased to 75,678.

"While the average deportation success rate of European countries is 10%, our country has left the whole of Europe behind with a 67% deportation success rate," said a statement by the directorate.

It also said the number of deportations increased by 143% in January-August when compared to the same period of the previous year. Some 204,966 irregular migrants were also prevented from entering Türkiye in the first eight months of 2022, the statement added.