Ankara has filed a protest against an attack by Greek Coast Guard units on a commercial vessel while it was in international waters off the island of Bozcaada in the northwestern Turkish state of Canakkale.
Anadolu Agency, citing Turkish diplomatic sources, reported that on Saturday, September 10, 2022, two Greek Coast Guard boats fired on a commercial vessel in international waters 11 nautical miles southwest of the island of Bozcaada.
The sources explained that the vessel is named “Anatolian” and raises the flag of the Comoros, and is intended for ro-ro flights, and the accident occurred at 10:27 Moscow time. She also added that Greek elements left the area after Turkish Coast Guard boats arrived in the area. The sources added that “Turkey immediately took the necessary initiatives against Greece, protested this incident, which is completely contrary to international law, drew attention to its seriousness and demanded an immediate investigation and explanation.”
Earlier, the Turkish Coast Guard Command reported that the commercial vessel was fired upon by two Greek Coast Guard boats, and that 18 members of its crew (6 Egyptians, 4 Somalis, 5 Azerbaijanis and 3 Turks) were not killed or injured in the attack. The management said in a statement that it had provided two boats to escort the ship and that an investigation into the incident had been launched at the direction of Janak Kala state prosecutor on duty.
In an appropriate context, the Coast Guard command released footage documenting the moment when the Greek units pursued the ship and the places where the bullets penetrated the ship.
The events come in light of the tensions that have been dominating Turkish-Greek relations lately and the mutual accusations between the politicians of the two countries of provocation and escalation as Turkey accuses Greece of harassing its fighter jets and violating Turkish air and sea space, as well as weapons. disputed islands that are supposed to be demilitarized. In the previous period, high-level statements were made by Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accusing Greece of occupying the islands, after previous statements spoke of the illegality of their weapons. A few days ago, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced its intention to file a complaint against Greece with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization “NATO” due to its harassment of Turkish militants in recent days, the latest of which was the pursuit through the Russian-made S-300 missile system.
