Ankara claims the ship came under “harassment fire,” while Athens insists only “warning shots” were fired
A Turkish cargo vessel had a run-in with a Greek coast guard patrol off Turkey’s Aeagean coast on Saturday, with the two nations providing conflicting accounts of the incident.
The Comoros-flagged ro-ro vessel ‘Anatolian’ sustained minor damage from Greek small arms fire, according to the Turkish side. However, the Greek Coastguard claims that there were no warning shots fired at this vessel by its Greek coastguard.
Turkish media circulated video footage of the incident, captured by the crew of the ‘Anatolian’. It also shows a Greek Coast Guard boat sailing alongside the Ro-Ro vessel. The video also shows several bullet holes in the windows and walls of the vessel’s superstructure, purportedly left as the result of Greek small arms fire.
According to Turkey’s Ministry of Interior, the cargo vessel came under “harassment fire”While sailing from Bozcaada on the Turkish island, the Greek coastguard assisted. Two Turkish coast guard vessels were dispatched to assist the ‘Anatolian’, but the Greek vessel left the area after detecting the approaching ships, the ministry claimed.
According to the Greek coast guard, however, the ‘Anatolian’ was found moving “suspiciously” in the country’s domestic waters to the northwest of Lesbos, a large Greek island located near Turkish coast. The ‘Anatolian’ was contacted by the coast guard, which urged it to alter its course and leave Greek territorial waters. Warning shots were fired after the vessel did not obey. “in a safe area,”According to the Greek side, Even though it was being attacked, the ship continued to move and eventually escaped into Turkish territory waters.
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