[InTimeNews]
The Turkish Foreign Ministry submitted a demarche to its Greek counterpart over Greek Coast Guard vessels that came within a few dozen meters of the Turkish shores in recent days, while chasing away migrant smugglers, according to information obtained by Kathimerini.
The demarche references two incidents that took place on September 20 and September 13, which were reported on by Turkish media on Monday. The incident on September 13, involved a Rafnar-type coast guard vessel chasing a smuggler speedboat from the island of Symi towards the Turkish shores, reaching the Datca area in southeastern Turkey.
One week later, on September 20, a Greek Coast Guard vessel pursued a smuggler speedboat that had previously disembarked migrants on the island of Kos. The Greek vessel was recorded by Turkish citizens just a few dozen meters from the shores of Bodrum. This second incident prompted Turkey’s official reaction.
Last night, the Turkish Minister of Interior, Ali Yerlikaya spoke with the Greek Minister of Shipping, Christos Stylianides, and expressed his displeasure over the violation of Turkish territorial waters, referring to both incidents. The Turkish Interior Ministry said that Stylianides said the incidents will be investigated and the Turkish authorities will be notified about the results of the inquiry.
The Greek Ministry of Shipping, in a statement issued Tuesday, confirmed that the two ministers discussed the Bodrum incident, stating that they “agreed on the importance of avoiding similar incidents that could create misunderstandings.”
