Research ship harassed by Turkish coast guard
The Meteor, a research ship conducting research on behalf of the University of Heidelberg in Germany in the sea between Samothrace and Limnos in the eastern Aegean, was harassed on Friday by Turkish coast guard officers who warned the captain to leave, saying the vessel was in Turkish waters.
The Meteor had in fact been granted all the necessary permits from the Greek Foreign and Defense ministries, according to Greek military officials who referred to the standard Turkish tactics of questioning Greek sovereign rights in the Aegean.
Further south, west of Lesvos, the Deep Sea Metro 2 and the Turkish corvette Bafra escorting it remained in international waters.
Their passage through the Aegean on Thursday was seen as a loud message to Athens that Ankara plans to play a part in energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean and the wider region.
