Greek Coast Guard Confirms Attack On Private Turkish Yacht Near Rhodes

ATHENS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th August, 2020) The Greek Coast Guard said on Tuesday it had opened fire at a suspicious yacht that refused to stop during a pursuit off the island of Rhodes in Greek territorial waters.

Earlier in the day, the Turkish Coast Guard said Greece had attacked a private civilian boat carrying two Turkish nationals and one Syrian on Monday night. They were all reportedly injured and urgently taken to the Marmaris hospital. Ships from the Turkish Coast Guard did not locate any Greek vessels when they arrived at the accident site. The private yacht was said to have sunk following the attack.

The Greek Coast Guard later confirmed that it was pursuing a suspicious vessel near the island of Rhodes.

"Late at night, a Coast Guard boat was on patrol in an area off the west coast of Rhodes and a white yacht was moving close to the coast with no navigation lights turned on. After sending sound and light signals to the yacht crew to stop for inspection, the captain disobeyed and increased speed, performing dangerous maneuvers and trying to ram the Coast Guard boat," the service said.

It added that the Coast Guard fired in safe zones, complying with the rules of action so that the vessel would stop for inspection. After the pursuit, the yacht entered Turkish territorial waters, accompanied by two Turkish border ships.

The incident comes amid rising tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean region, as both Ankara and Athens often accuse one another of violating each other's maritime rights.

Earlier in August, Greece and Egypt signed a maritime deal on an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the eastern Mediterranean. Ankara then slammed the agreement as "null and void," saying that Athens and Cairo share no sea border, and claimed that the area of the EEZ was in fact located on Turkey's continental shelf. The Greece-Egypt deal prompted Turkey to resume seismic research in the eastern Mediterranean, a move that was strongly condemned by Athens.