Greek boats harass cargo ship in international waters: Sources.

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Two Greek coast guard boats opened harassment fire on a cargo ship in international waters in the Aegean some 18 kilometers (11 miles) off Türkiye’s southwestern coast of Bozcaada on Saturday, diplomatic sources said.

The Comoros-flagged “Anatolian” ship with a crew of 18 – six Egyptians, four Somalis, five Azerbaijanis and three Turkish nationals – was attacked while sailing in international waters, the Turkish Coast Guard Command said in a statement.

After learning about the incident, the Turkish coast guard dispatched two boats and the Greek boats left the area.

No one was injured on the ship, it added.

The Turkish Coast Guard Command shared a video on its website of the harassment fire and a map pinpointing the location where the incident occurred

Diplomatic sources said that an explanation and investigation into the incident “that is totally in violation of international laws” has been demanded from Athens and protested.

Following Turkish accusations of harassment fire, the Greek coast guard confirmed it fired warning shots at a ship that was “moving suspiciously” in Greek territorial waters off the island of Lesbos.

The Anatolian was anchored Sunday in the Dardanelles Strait off the Turkish coast, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

The alleged incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between the two NATO ally neighbors.

Ankara recently accused Athens of “occupying” some Aegean islands and harassing Turkish jets with Russian-made S-300 defense systems stationed there. Athens denies the claims.

Türkiye has stepped up criticism of Greece stationing troops on islands in the Eastern Aegean, near the Turkish coast and in many cases visible from shore. These islands were required to be demilitarized under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Treaty of Paris, so any troops or weapons on the islands are strictly forbidden.

It was reported recently that Turkish jets on a reconnaissance mission, flying in international airspace, had been harassed by the Greek defense system stationed on Crete.

Türkiye is planning to submit to NATO and its allies the radar logs showing how a Greek S-300 air defense system harassed Turkish F-16 jets during a mission in international airspace.

On the other side, this week, the Greek government wrote letters to NATO, the European Union and the United Nations, asking them to formally condemn increasingly aggressive talk by Turkish officials and suggesting that tensions could escalate into open conflict.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said the behavior of Türkiye risked “a situation similar to that currently unfolding in some other part of our continent,” referring to the war in Ukraine.

Historic rivals while also fellow members of NATO, Türkiye and Greece have been at odds over issues ranging from overflights and the status of Aegean islands to maritime boundaries and hydrocarbon resources in the Mediterranean, as well as ethnically split Cyprus.

The tensions between Türkiye and Greece are also likely to come up in a potential meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later this month, which is under discussion, Reuters reported quoting a Turkish official.

Meanwhile, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday during a news conference in the northern city of Thessaloniki that Athens would try to keep communication channels with Ankara open.

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Two Greek coast guard boats opened harassment fire on a cargo ship in international waters in the Aegean some 18 kilometers (11 miles) off Türkiye’s southwestern coast of Bozcaada on Saturday, diplomatic sources said.

The Comoros-flagged “Anatolian” ship with a crew of 18 – six Egyptians, four Somalis, five Azerbaijanis and three Turkish nationals – was attacked while sailing in international waters, the Turkish Coast Guard Command said in a statement.

After learning about the incident, the Turkish coast guard dispatched two boats and the Greek boats left the area.

No one was injured on the ship, it added.

The Turkish Coast Guard Command shared a video on its website of the harassment fire and a map pinpointing the location where the incident occurred

Diplomatic sources said that an explanation and investigation into the incident “that is totally in violation of international laws” has been demanded from Athens and protested.

Following Turkish accusations of harassment fire, the Greek coast guard confirmed it fired warning shots at a ship that was “moving suspiciously” in Greek territorial waters off the island of Lesbos.

The Anatolian was anchored Sunday in the Dardanelles Strait off the Turkish coast, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

The alleged incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between the two NATO ally neighbors.

Ankara recently accused Athens of “occupying” some Aegean islands and harassing Turkish jets with Russian-made S-300 defense systems stationed there. Athens denies the claims.

Türkiye has stepped up criticism of Greece stationing troops on islands in the Eastern Aegean, near the Turkish coast and in many cases visible from shore. These islands were required to be demilitarized under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Treaty of Paris, so any troops or weapons on the islands are strictly forbidden.

It was reported recently that Turkish jets on a reconnaissance mission, flying in international airspace, had been harassed by the Greek defense system stationed on Crete.

Türkiye is planning to submit to NATO and its allies the radar logs showing how a Greek S-300 air defense system harassed Turkish F-16 jets during a mission in international airspace.

On the other side, this week, the Greek government wrote letters to NATO, the European Union and the United Nations, asking them to formally condemn increasingly aggressive talk by Turkish officials and suggesting that tensions could escalate into open conflict.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said the behavior of Türkiye risked “a situation similar to that currently unfolding in some other part of our continent,” referring to the war in Ukraine.

Historic rivals while also fellow members of NATO, Türkiye and Greece have been at odds over issues ranging from overflights and the status of Aegean islands to maritime boundaries and hydrocarbon resources in the Mediterranean, as well as ethnically split Cyprus.

The tensions between Türkiye and Greece are also likely to come up in a potential meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later this month, which is under discussion, Reuters reported quoting a Turkish official.

Meanwhile, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday during a news conference in the northern city of Thessaloniki that Athens would try to keep communication channels with Ankara open.

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