The “positive agenda” between Greece and Turkey was briefly disturbed on Thursday after four Turkish frigates were deployed to the southern Aegean Sea near the straits of Kasos and Karpathos.
The presence of Turkish naval forces prompted Greece to monitor the situation with a nearby gunboat and a frigate, though they did not approach the Turkish ships. The crisis was swiftly addressed through diplomatic channels, with the Turkish ships departing the area later in the day.
The Turkish frigates were returning from the “Mavi Balina” naval exercise when they changed their rota and approached the Greek islands. It is not clear whether they encroached into Greek territorial waters.
Greek media speculate that they had received orders to investigate rumors of the Italian ship, the Ievoli Relume, conducting research in the area. The ship is tasked to conduct research for the Crete-Cyprus electricity interconnection.
The move puzzled Greek authorities, as the Italian vessel remained north of Crete, without any issued NAVTEX (Navigational Telex).
Greece-Turkey crisis off Kasos Island in July
The Italian vessel had been at the center of a 40-hour crisis last July off Kasos when it carried out surveys for the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection project within Greek territorial waters and within the delimited (with Egypt) Greek EEZ.
Those surveys had initially prompted the arrival in the area of a Turkish frigate, followed by a second frigate and a corvette. On the Greek side, in addition to a gunboat that accompanied the research vessel from the outset, another frigate and an open-sea patrol boat of the coast guard were gradually deployed in the area, with Ankara having sent an additional two missile boats.
Ankara sought to justify its reaction at the time by invoking the argument that some of the Ievoli Relume’s investigations were entering its maritime jurisdiction zones under its notorious Turkey/Libya maritime memorandum of understanding, which Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis reiterated “is invalid, legally unsubstantiated and does not produce legal effects.”
The tension at the time finally subsided through diplomatic channels with the Italian ship completing the planned surveys.
Greece has established an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) with Egypt in the area south of Kasos and Karpathos, compliant with international law and the law of the sea. Turkey, however, claims influence based on the contentious and legally questionable Turkey-Libya memorandum.
Defense analysts say that the incident underscores the importance of direct and diplomatic communication between Ankara and Athens to prevent such escalations in the future.
Related: Greece Eyes Peace, Friendship with Turkey, Greek FM Says
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