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Turkey says no casualties reported within the incident close to the Turkish island of Bozcaada and calls for a swift investigation.
Greek coastguard ships opened fireplace on a cargo vessel crusing in worldwide waters in the Aegean Sea, escalating tensions with Turkey which have mounted in latest weeks.
There have been no casualties within the taking pictures 11 nautical miles (20km) southwest of the Turkish island of Bozcaada on Saturday, a Turkish coastguard assertion mentioned.
After “harassment fireplace” from two Greek vessels, two Turkish coastguard ships went to the realm and the Greek boats left, it added.
The Greek coastguard confirmed it fired “warning pictures” at a ship “shifting suspiciously” in Greek territorial waters off the island of Lesbos.
The captain of the cargo ship refused to permit an inspection and was later escorted to close by Turkish waters, mentioned Greek coastguard officers, noting they knowledgeable maritime authorities in Turkey in regards to the incident.
The realm is understood for a lot of ships bringing migrants from Turkey to the European Union international locations of Greece and Italy. The Greek coastguard says it recurrently checks ships behaving suspiciously within the Aegean.
Embroiled in disputes
The neighbouring international locations have been embroiled in disputes for many years and friction has ratcheted up in latest weeks, with each side alleging airspace violations. Greek officers have raised considerations about one other outbreak of battle in Europe following Russia’s struggle in Ukraine.
Ankara has accused Athens of “occupying” some Aegean islands and harassing Turkish jets with Russian-made S-300 defence techniques stationed there. Athens denies the claims.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned Greece it could pay a “heavy value” if it continues to harass Turkish fighter jets over the Aegean and hinted at navy motion.
Greece says it must defend its jap islands, together with vacationer hotspots Rhodes and Kos, that are a lot nearer to Turkey than to the Greek mainland, in opposition to its bigger and militarily stronger neighbour.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis mentioned on Sunday he remained open to a gathering with Erdogan.
“I contemplate latest statements by the Turkish president unacceptable. Nonetheless, we’ll all the time attempt to hold communication channels open,” Mitsotakis mentioned, including that an off-the-cuff EU summit early October in Prague could be an opportunity for this to occur.
‘Disregard of guidelines’
Video footage from Saturday purportedly exhibits a Greek coastguard vessel alongside the Anatolian cargo ship because the sound of a few dozen gunshots is heard. A crew member speaks in Turkish, saying they’re being attacked by the Greek coastguard.
The video, which was launched by the Turkish coastguard and appears to have been filmed on a cell phone, exhibits what seems to be a bullet gap in a window and within the ceiling of the cargo ship’s bridge.
The Turkish assertion mentioned the gunfire was “in disregard of the foundations of worldwide regulation”. The 18 crew members of the Anatolian consisted of six Egyptians, 4 Somalis, 5 Azerbaijanis and three Turks.
A Turkish prosecutor ordered an investigation. The nation has additionally protested to Greek authorities, with Ankara demanding a swift investigation and clarification.
The Anatolian was anchored on Sunday within the Dardanelles Strait off the Turkish coast, the state-run Anadolu information company reported.
Final week, the Greek authorities wrote letters to NATO, the EU, and the United Nations, asking them to formally condemn more and more aggressive discuss by Turkish officers and suggesting tensions might escalate into open battle.
Greek Overseas Minister Nikos Dendias mentioned the behaviour of Turkey, additionally a NATO member, risked “a state of affairs just like that presently unfolding in another a part of our continent”, referring to the struggle in Ukraine.
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