Greek Shipping Minister Vassilis Kikilias has announced that Greece will file a diplomatic protest to Turkey over repeated incursions by Turkish fishing vessels into Greek territorial waters.
“I asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gerapetritis, to make a demarche to the other side on this particular issue and he agreed,” Kikilias said, stressing that “Greek territorial waters should be respected.”
Residents of the eastern Aegean islands say Turkish fishermen frequently approach within one nautical mile of the Greek coast. This year, however, trawlers have ventured even closer, including near the frontier island of Agathonisi, despite seasonal fishing bans.
Local fishermen claim Turkish crews exploit moments when the Hellenic Coast Guard is occupied elsewhere, entering deep into Greek waters to “literally plow the seabed.”
Source: Ekathimerini.
