Greece denies "harassing" Turkish vessel "Barbados"

Greek authorities have denied Turkish media reports about an incident that supposedly involved a Greek warship harassing Turkish vessel "Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa" in Cyprus.

The Greek defense force said that this did not occur and highlighted that Turkey tries to keep the tensions at a high level because it cannot accept that the area belongs to Greece.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Thursday that the navy had stopped a Greek frigate from harassing a Turkish ship in the Mediterranean, however, did not give further details.

It also said Turkey would continue to exercise its sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its continental shelf.

“We recommend that Greece abstain from acts that would cause an escalation in the region,” the Turkish ministry said in a statement.

A Greek defense source denied there was an incident and also added Greeks were monitoring the activity of the Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa. The vessel was in an area claimed by Cyprus for future hydrocarbons exploration, west of the island.

Turkey has also issued a Navtex, an advisory to ships including coordinates, that it would be conducting seismic surveys in the Mediterranean Sea from October 18 to February 1.