The Greek coast guard confirmed it had fired a warning shot at a vessel that was “making suspicious maneuvers” in Greek territorial waters near the island of Lesbos after Turkey accused the neighboring country of “disturbing fire,” dpa reported on Sunday. Agerpres.

The captain of the Comoros-flagged Anatolian with a crew of 18 from Turkey, Egypt, Somalia and Azerbaijan refused to allow an inspection on board, after which the vessel was escorted into Turkish territorial waters, the Greek coast guard said on Sunday. who also noted that they had notified the Turkish Coast Guard.

The incident on Saturday comes at a time when relations between Greece and Turkey are very tense over a dispute over sovereign rights. Ankara has accused Athens of “occupying” some islands in the Aegean Sea and harassing Turkish planes with Russian-made S-300 air defense systems deployed in the area. Athens denies the allegations.

On Saturday, Turkish media reported that the cargo ship was attacked “with harassment” in international waters, 11 nautical miles from the Turkish island of Bozcaada.

According to Turkish state broadcaster TRT, the two Greek vessels left when the Turkish Coast Guard arrived at the scene and escorted the Anatolian vessel into Turkish territorial waters.

The area is known for many ships illegally transporting migrants from Turkey to Greece and Italy, member states of the European Union. Greece’s coast guard said it regularly checks suspicious vessels in the Aegean Sea.

(article photo © Milan Ljubisavljević | Dreamstime.com)