Turkish boat harasses coast guard
A fresh incident unfolded in the Aegean on Thursday morning with the harassment of a Greek coast guard vessel by a Turkish patrol boat, with Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar presenting his version of events, claiming the Greek side “harassed and shot at our fishermen.”
The incident occurred southeast of Farmakonisi, in Greek territorial waters, when a Greek coast guard patrol boat attempted to search three Turkish fishing boats. The current sea bream period is a time of frequent incidents of Turkish fishing boats entering the area, trying to secure a larger share of the catch.
The Greek coast guard said in a statement that the Greek patrol boat was approached, as it sought to identify the three fishing boats, by a Turkish patrol boat which tried to ram it while engaging in dangerous maneuvers. The crew of the Greek vessel fired warning shots in a safe area, according to the statement, and the Turkish vessel left for the Turkish coast.
Thursday’s incident in Farmakonisi was one of many that occur from time to time in the Aegean.
For his part, the Turkish defense minister claimed the Geeks were the instigators of the events.
“It is Greece that provokes day and night. They do what they do for internal political reasons. We leave no harassment against us unanswered,” Akar stressed.
