A provocative attempt by Greece of allowing a French research vessel accompanied by a Greek frigate to conduct scientific studies in the Turkish continental shelf was foiled by the Turkish navy last week.
On April 15, when Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias was in Ankara for talks with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, to defuse the tension and start a new reconciliation process with Turkey, Greece announced a three-day NAVTEX (notification to sailors), informing that France’s “L’Atalante” ship would conduct researches in the south of Crete and Rhodes islands in the eastern Mediterranean.
In an immediate response, Turkey announced a counter-NAVTEX, stressing that the area designated by Greece was part of Turkey’s continental shelf and that Greece had no authority to issue any NAVTEX concerning this particular zone.
Nevertheless, L’Atalante, accompanied by the Greek frigate “Elli,” entered the Turkish continental shelf despite the Turkish NAVTEX on April 17.
According to the Greek media, the two Turkish frigates, which were around this area, urged both the Greek frigate and French vessel to immediately leave the area.
The French vessel argued that it was in international waters and it does not need to take permission to sail.
Turkey pushes back French, Greek vessels out of its continental shelf - Türkiye News
A provocative attempt by Greece of allowing a French research vessel accompanied by a Greek frigate to conduct scientific studies in the Turkish continental shelf was foiled by the Turkish navy last week.
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@Vergennes ,it says Turkish continental shelf.