Yesterday Foreign Minister Nicos Dendias sent a letter to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell regarding recent illegal activities. Turkish fisheries in Pharmakonisi, according to diplomatic sources.

Mr. Dendias is also sending a letter to the Vice-President of the European Commission, Margaritis Schinas, and to the Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius.

In his letter, the Secretary of State refers to episode that took place on January 5“in which a coast guard patrol vessel, while performing an ordered service to identify three Turkish fishing vessels fishing in the sea area southeast of Farmakonisi, in Greek territorial waters, was harassed by a Turkish coastal vessel,” diplomatic sources noted.

“This repeated Turkish practice,” notes the Greek Foreign Minister, “creates a dangerous security environment and increases the likelihood of an ‘accident’ that could be used by Ankara as a tool to escalate tensions between Greece and Turkey,” they said. , sources.

In addition, the letter noted “the avoidance of cooperation and often aggressive attitude on the part of Turkish fishermen not only towards the coast guard vessels, but also towards Greek fishing vessels, an attitude directed against the legitimate fishing activities of Greek fishermen.” .

“It is easy to see,” the foreign minister notes, “what the consequences of such a development of events will be for the wider region, as well as for Euro-Turkish relations,” the same sources emphasize.

“The Greek Foreign Minister then refers to the aggressive rhetoric of Turkish officials who make unprovoked threats against Greece almost daily.”

“Combined with incidents questioning national sovereignty in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, it is clear that Turkey, with illegal poaching and uncontrolled (IUU) fishing, is adding another vehicle to implement its revisionist policies and questioning the status quo of the region. “.

Regarding the episode under consideration, the same sources note: “The Minister of Foreign Affairs underlines the need for the EU, if Turkey continues the above practice, to take measures that will entail economic costs for Turkey, and requires the implementation of Regulation (1005/2008) to combat IUU- a fishery that provides that if a third country fails to comply, it is considered “non-cooperative” and its fishery products may be banned from the EU market.

“Such a reaction from the EU,” concludes the Greek Foreign Minister, “would send a loud signal to Ankara and in practice demonstrate the solidarity of the EU towards a member state that faces challenges to its sovereignty almost daily. and threats of war,” they conclude.