Kathimerini Greece Newsroom
Turkey has saved the lives of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers that were illegally pushed back by Greece, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed on Monday.
“With the efforts of our Coast Guard, we have prevented deaths in the Aegean,” Erdogan told the Gendarmerie and Coast Guard Academy’s graduation ceremony in Ankara.
“In the last two years, we have saved the lives of 41,000 people who were left to die by Greece,” he said.
Greece has repeatedly denied pushback allegations, saying it intercepts boats at sea to protect its own and the European Union’s borders.
