Cesme strains ties in Aegean
The Foreign Ministry yesterday lodged an official complaint with government officials in Ankara yesterday, complaining that a Turkish naval research ship was continuing to encroach on Greece’s continental shelf area in the northern Aegean, the stretch of seabed where Athens claims the rights for exploration and exploitation of potential mineral and fossil fuel deposits. A ministry statement issued yesterday afternoon noted that the Cesme hydrographic and oceanographic vessel had come within just a few kilometers of the coast of Thrace for the second day in a row. Responding to a reporter’s question about the movements of the Turkish vessel, ministry spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras said it represented «a lack of trust between our two countries.» The spokesman said Athens had «made a choice to improve relations with Turkey» but accused Ankara of «squandering current reserves of good will.»
