The Turkish coastguards arrested 330 migrants, including Afghans, Syrians and Palestinians, who were trying to illegally reach the Greek island of Lesbos, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Sunday. The boats leaving the Ayvacik district of Kanakkale province in northwestern Turkey were boarded during seven operations since Saturday night, according to Anadolu.
Transit country for migrants
Turkey, which hosts more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees - a record in the world - is one of the transit countries for irregular migrants in their journey to the European Union (EU).
The Turkish authorities are intervening in an agreement with the EU that has led to the decline of the flow of migrants and refugees, mainly Syrian, who seek to emigrate to Europe by entering Greece. This agreement, concluded in March 2016, is accompanied by financial assistance, the liberalization of tourist visas for Turkish nationals and the acceleration of the negotiation process for membership of the European Union.