Nikos Dendias, the foreign minister of Greece, wrote to Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, pleading with him to take action against Turkey’s unlawful fishing operations in Greek waters.
A Turkish ship harassed a Greek coast guard patrol boat on January 5 as it attempted to identify three Turkish ships operating in the waters southeast of Farmakonissi island and within Greek national limits.
Athens claims that this is a routine practice by the Turkish side intended to cast doubt on Greece’s sovereignty and cause a conflict between the two nations, Euractiv reports.
Dendias stated in his letter that “this persistent Turkish practice creates a dangerous security environment and enhances the likelihood of an ‘accident’ that Ankara might use to deepen tension between Greece and Turkey.
According to Greek media, Dendias requested that Borrell implement the law against “illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing,” which states that if a third country disobeys, it will be labeled as “non-cooperating” and its fishery goods could be banned from the EU market.
Such a response “would send a thundering message to Ankara and illustrate in practice the solidarity of the EU towards a member state, which on an almost daily basis faces questions about its sovereignty and war threats,” according to Dendias.
According to Athens analysts, Turkey is attempting to artificially exacerbate tensions with Greece in advance of the crucial general elections that will take place in June.
According to recent polls, the party of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is losing favor with the younger generation, who prefer other parties.
