The Greek Ministry of National Defense issued a firm response to Turkey regarding recent claims about “respect” for maritime jurisdiction and cooperation.
KarpathosThis comes after reports from the Turkish Ministry of Defense mentioned Greek respect for Turkish maritime claims in the events around Kasos and Karpathos.
Sources from the Greek Ministry of National Defense stated, “No ‘respect’ was shown or will be shown in the future by the Greek Armed Forces towards Turkey’s illegal actions in the legally delineated Greece-Egypt zone, as the Constitution of the Hellenic Republic prescribes and mandates.”
The controversy involves the Italian research vessel “Ievoli Relume,” which Turkey claimed was warned not to enter its maritime jurisdiction on July 22 and was subsequently escorted out by Turkish ships. Turkish reports suggested that the vessel was allowed to operate within certain coordinates after coordination and later left the area, with the Turkish Ministry of Defense thanking Greek and Italian authorities for their “respect and cooperation.”
However, the Greek Ministry emphasized that the vessel operated entirely within the Greek Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), completing its mission and returning to Heraklion for refueling. A Turkish warship monitored the vessel from a distance of 1.5 nautical miles, indicating that diplomatic channels were used to prevent escalation between the two nations.