German mission searches Libya-bound Turkish ship, sparking backlash from Ankara
German forces intercepted a Libya-bound Turkish ship suspected of carrying arms, sparking the latest row between an EU member state and Ankara ahead of a key summit assessing bilateral ties next month.
ISTANBUL — A German naval mission intercepted a Turkish ship in the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday on suspicion it was violating an arms embargo on Libya. After a more than 15-hour search, Ankara ordered the operation be halted, preventing German personnel from completing their investigation, according to German officials.
The incident sparked backlash from Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, which in a statement Monday called the search “unlawful,” further straining EU-Turkey relations at a time when bilateral ties are in the spotlight ahead of a key European Council summit on Dec. 10 during which member states are expected to review possible sanctions on Ankara.
German forces with the EU’s Operation Irini, a mission to stop illicit weapons transfers to Libya, boarded at night the Turkish-flagged Rosaline-A freighter in the Mediterranean about 200 kilometers (124 miles) north of the Libyan city of Benghazi.
According to Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hami Aksoy, the ship was carrying paint and humanitarian aid to the Libya port of Misrata. Aksoy said the crew was “forcibly searched.”
