Turkey on Tuesday accused Greece of disturbing its research vessel, the TCG Cesme, in the Aegean Sea by dropping a flare two nautical miles from the ship. Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said that four Greek F-16 jets had flown close to the TCG Cesme, which was conducting “technical and scientific research” in the international waters, and said that the incident was just “one of the frequent harassment acts of our Greek neighbours.” The minister further noted that Ankara had responded according to protocol but did not provide any additional details. “While we are carrying out scientific work, harassment is not correct. It doesn’t fit in our good neighbourly ties,” he added.
Athens, for its part, has denied the allegations and said that its air force—which was conducting an exercise several miles southwest of the area on Tuesday—was nowhere near where the vessel was operating. However, Greece has protested the deployment of the TCG Cesme, calling its so-called mission of hydrographic surveying of earthquakes a provocative act by Ankara. Meanwhile, Turkey claims that its actions are completely legal and in accordance with international agreements.
The NATO allies have been feuding over energy exploration rights and maritime borders in the eastern Mediterranean for a long time, though tensions came to a head last year after a Turkish seismic research vessel, Oruç Reis, began exploratory drilling in disputed waters in the region. The two sides agreed to resume talks to resolve their differences last month, and a second round of meetings is expected to be held in Athens before a European Union (EU) summit in late March, wherein the block will decide whether it wants to impose additional restrictive measures on Turkey for its exploration missions in the eastern Mediterranean.
Separately, the Greek Cypriot president of ethnically divided Cyprus said on Thursday that he will attend United Nations-hosted talks in April with his counterpart from the Turkish Cypriot government, Ersin Tatar. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that he was invited the relevant stakeholders for an informal meeting in Geneva from April 27-29 “to determine whether common ground exists for the parties to negotiate a lasting solution to the Cyprus problem within a foreseeable horizon.”
Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom (UK) are also invited due to their role as the “guarantors” of Cyprus’ independence. While Greece and Greek Cypriots still hope to reunify the country as a federation made up of Greek- and Turkish-speaking zones, Ankara has stressed that it will only engage in discussions on the matter if a two-state proposal is considered. However, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said that it is unlikely that talks could move forward if Turkey continues to take such a stance.
Turkey Accuses Greek Jets of “Harassing” Research Vessel in Aegean Sea
Greece, however, has denied the allegations.
February 26, 2021
Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar SOURCE: DAILY SABAH