Turkey rescued as many as 115 irregular migrants in the Aegean Sea after they were pushed back by the Greek authorities, the Turkish Coast Guard Command said early Saturday.

The Coast Guard said teams rescued 26 migrants off Dikili district of Izmir, who were pushed into Turkish territorial waters by Greece.

In a separate operation in Seferihisar district, security forces held 89 migrants who were trying to illegally cross into Europe.

All the asylum seekers were transferred to provincial migration offices.

Turkey has been a key transit point for irregular migrants who want to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.

Turkey, which already hosts 4 million refugees, more than any other country in the world, is taking new security measures on its borders to prevent a new influx of migrants.