ATHENS, Greece — High-ranking officials from the coast guards of Greece and Turkey have come to an agreement to enhance collaborative efforts aimed at curbing one of the primary illegal migration pathways into Europe, as announced by authorities on Wednesday.

A statement from the Greek coast guard indicated that the meeting, which took place on the eastern Aegean island of Chios, marked the first such encounter in five years. Plans are already underway for a follow-up meeting in Turkey, scheduled for February 2025.

These discussions are taking place against a backdrop of gradually improving relations between the historically rival countries, which had reached a rocky phase in 2020 due to rising military tensions over rights to offshore gas exploration.

The senior coast guard officials from both nations have reportedly agreed to enhance joint efforts not only in operational collaboration but also in sharing intelligence regarding organized migrant smuggling networks. Each year, thousands of migrants make the perilous sea journey from Turkey’s western shores to the eastern Greek islands, often aboard small and unsafe boats. Many of these individuals, hailing from the Middle East, Africa, or Asia, are in search of improved living conditions in the European Union.

Christos Stylianides, Greece’s minister for merchant marine, emphasized that the discussions on Chios were conducted in a notably positive environment, leading to specific and practical agreements on managing migratory flows and combatting human trafficking.

According to data from the United Nations, over 52,000 individuals have entered Greece illegally in the current year, primarily arriving by sea from Turkey. This marks an increase from the previous year, which saw nearly 49,000 migrants reach Greece throughout 2023.

The rise in migrant numbers can be attributed to more individuals undertaking the longer and perilous sea voyage from Libya, with approximately 4,000 arrivals recorded from the North African nation thus far. Many of these migrants are targeting the southern Greek isle of Crete; notably, on Tuesday, a cargo ship rescued 19 individuals from a small vessel in that area.

The Greek coast guard reported on Wednesday that one of the individuals rescued from the boat was taken into custody on suspicion of being a member of a migrant smuggling operation. This organization allegedly charged as much as $6,500 for a spot on the boat, which had embarked from Tobruk in eastern Libya and spent two days at sea.