Greece and Turkey exchange gunfire in the Aegean Sea
Turkish media confirm that a serious incident occurred between a Turkish Coast Guard vessel and a Greek Coast Guard patrol boat on Thursday, describing that the Greek patrol boat was harassing Turkish fishing vessels before Turkish Coast Guard authorities intervened. However, Athens countered that it was the Turkish side that harassed the Greek boats.
Both sides say warning shots were fired and attribute acts of aggression to the other side: “The crew of a Greek coast guard patrol boat fired warning shots early Thursday to discourage a coast guard vessel Turkey that was trying to ram it in the eastern Aegean Sea, Athens authorities said, as tensions between the two neighbors remain high,” reports the Associated Press.
The Greek coastguard statement went on to say that “the crew fired warning shots in a safe sector and the Turkish coastguard vessel withdrew” towards the coastline of Turkey, indicating that the shots were not fired directly. towards the opposing ship, but in the air. In addition, the Turkish side "carried out dangerous maneuvers with the intention of ramming" the Greek vessel. Greece says the clash took place off the Greek islet of Farmakonissi, describing it was 1.5 nautical miles (or 1.7 miles) inside Greek territorial waters.
These types of ramming incidents have become more frequent in recent years, despite being relatively quiet for much of 2022 compared to past years. However, threats continue to arrive from both sides, with speculation in the Greek media that Erdogan may be planning a war and taking control of Greek territorial waters, especially in the Aegean Sea. Cyprus has also condemned frequent incursions into its waters as illegal.
Both Cyprus and Greece have long condemned Turkish fishing, as well as oil and gas exploration, within their Exclusive Economic Zones. Both countries have repeatedly complained to the EU, in particular France has offered military assistance to better monitor the Turkish military's air and sea incursions.
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The article Greece and Turkey exchange gunfire in the Aegean Sea comes from Scenari Economics .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/grecia-e-turchia-scambiano-colpi-darma-da-fuoco-nel-mar-egeo/ on Fri, 06 Jan 2023 12:00:34 +0000.