Territorial spats reheat ahead of Turkey-Greece talks
Citing disputed territorial claims, the Turkish navy twice blocked research missions by a Greek Cypriot-contracted vessel as Turkey and Greece prepare for bilateral talks in Ankara on Oct. 6.
ISTANBUL — The eastern Mediterranean was once more the site of maritime spats this week as overlapping territorial claims between Turkey, Greece and the Republic of Cyprus fostered renewed tensions in the region.
On Monday the Turkish navy turned back a Greek Cypriot-contracted research vessel that Ankara said was infringing on its continental shelf without permission in waters southwest of Cyprus. The Nautical Geo, a Maltese-flagged research vessel, was “taken away” from what Ankara defines as its territorial waters, Turkey’s Defense Ministry said without providing further details on how the vessel was removed.
