Caucasus (bbabo.net), - The Greek Coast Guard said it fired warning fire in a safe direction while pursuing a "suspicious vessel" flying the Comoros flag that entered Greek territorial waters.
Earlier, Turkish authorities reported that the incident occurred in international waters, 11 miles southwest of the Turkish island of Bozcaada. Ankara demands a serious investigation into the incident.
Saturday afternoon, a Mytilene Port Authority patrol boat spotted a Comoros-flagged vessel offshore northwest of Lesvos, moving suspiciously within national territorial waters, heading north of the island," the Coast Guard said.
“The captain of this vessel, having received instructions from the crew of the Coast Guard patrol boat to stop for an inspection, did not obey, moving parallel to the Turkish coast. A chase followed, during which warning shots were fired in a safe sector, but the above vessel did not stop, entering Turkish territorial waters and moving towards the Turkish coast, ”the coast guard said.
According to her, the Coast Guard Operations Center informed the Turkish authorities about the incident so that they could take their own actions.
NATO allies Greece and Turkey have repeatedly found themselves on the brink of armed conflict due to territorial disputes. A new round of tension began on August 23, when, according to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, Greece deployed Russian-made S-300 air defense systems to target Turkish F-16s during a NATO mission. Greece denies this.
In recent days, the rhetoric between the two countries has sharply escalated. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier that Greece is threatening Turkey with S-300 air defense systems and will pay a "heavy price" if it "goes further."
Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that Ankara expects objectivity from NATO in connection with the use by Greece of the S-300 in the pursuit of Turkish aircraft. According to him, Greece ignores international law, good neighborly relations and friendship. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias sent letters to Head of European Diplomacy Josep Borrell and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about the threat of a serious conflict with Turkey in connection with the provocative statements of Turkish politicians.
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