The crew of a Greek coast guard vessel fired warning shots at a Turkish coast guard vessel it was trying to intercept while sailing in the eastern Aegean Sea.
The news was confirmed by the authorities in Athens. According to a press release, the crew fired into the air in a safe area and the Turkish craft left for the coast of Turkey.
In the communiqué, there is no mention of injuries to people or material damage during the incident, verified in the southeast of the Greek island of Farmakonisi, 1.5 nautical miles inside Hellenic territorial waters.
Meanwhile, the Turkish authorities gave another version of the event. According to official Ankara, the Greek side had harassed some Turkish boats that were fishing off the coast of Didim.
In this situation, the Turkish Coast Guard engaged one of its patrols, which responded to the shooting by also firing into the air.
As a result, the Greek vessel was forced to leave the region, allowing the fishing boats to continue their activities in peace.
For its part, the Greek government claims that the boats in question were operating in Greek territorial waters, so the coast guard had intervened.