A Greek coast guard patrol boat fired warning shots on Thursday to deter a Turkish coast guard vessel that was allegedly trying to ram it in the eastern Aegean Sea, Athens officials said.
The statement from the Greek coast guard, at a time of increased tension between the two neighboring countries, states that “the crew fired warning shots in a safe sector and the Turkish coast guard ship withdrew” towards the Turkish coast.
Shots were fired into the air, according to the same source, which did not mention injuries or damage to any of the ships, in the incident southwest of the Greek islet of Farmakonissi, within Greek territorial waters.
There was no immediate reaction from Turkey.
Greece and Turkey, longtime regional rivals and NATO allies, have been experiencing an escalation of tension over the past three years.
The Greek coast guard said its boat was on a mission to identify three Turkish fishing boats in Greek waters off Farmakonissi and that the Greek crew opened fire after “being disturbed” by the Turkish coast guard boat, which carried out “maneuvers dangerous with the intent to ram”. “The Greek ship.
The two countries, which have been on the brink of war three times since 1974, have decades-long disputes over the borders of the Aegean Sea and the war-torn island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean.
Relations have deteriorated rapidly in recent years, with migration flows from Turkey and gas prospecting in disputed waters fueling existing mistrust and historic grievances between the Greeks and Turks dating back centuries.
Turkish authorities also accuse Greece of militarizing its eastern Aegean islands, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly alluded to the invasion of Greece in recent months.
Greece replies that it needs to defend its islands from a possible Turkish attack.
Source: TSF
