New round of surveys begin off Kasos
Turkey’s interest was again piqued on Monday by the conduct of surveys for the laying of electrical interconnection cables by the Italian-flagged research vessel Ievoli Relume south of Kasos and Karpathos in the southeast Aegean.
However, on the basis of all the information from the area on Monday, and as is apparent from reports from government sources, this time the area was devoid of the tension created by Ankara on a similar occasion almost a month ago.
In particular, it emerged that the Italian research vessel was making its way through Greek territorial waters accompanied by a Greek frigate and gunboat.
According to information, the navigational telex (Navtex) issued, which expires on Wednesday, provides for the movement of the Italian research vessel from 6 miles southwest to 6 miles southeast of Kasos. During the course of this movement, and while it was ultimately heading for Crete, a Turkish frigate was spotted in the area. Sources in Athens said that the Turkish naval vessel was sailing in international waters and at a very long distance, almost 25 nautical miles, from the Ievoli Relume.
At first, there were concerns that a new incident might occur in the area due to the Turkish frigate’s presence. However, its long distance away does not inspire concern of a new round of tension with Ankara.
Last month, on July 22 and 23, the Italian vessel carried out surveys for the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection project within Greek territorial waters and within the delimited (with Egypt) Greek EEZ, in the same area, south of Kasos and Karpathos.
Those surveys had initially prompted the arrival in the area of a Turkish frigate, followed by a second frigate and a corvette. On the Greek side, in addition to a gunboat that accompanied the research vessel from the outset, another frigate and an open-sea patrol boat of the coast guard were gradually deployed in the area, with Ankara having sent an additional two missile boats. Ankara sought to justify its reaction at the time by invoking the argument that some of the Ievoli Relume’s investigations were entering its maritime jurisdiction zones under its notorious Turkey/Libya maritime memorandum of understanding, which Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis reiterated (Real TV) “is invalid, legally unsubstantiated and does not produce legal effects.”
The tension at the time finally subsided through diplomatic channels with the Italian ship completing the planned surveys.
