• Source: 2020 Greek-Turkish maritime crisis

The 2020 Greek-Turkish maritime crisis began in July 2020, in the eastern Aegean Sea. The Turkish government announced a NAVTEX which was called illegal by both governments in Greece and Cyprus, and brought the two nations at their closest to war since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, and the Imia crisis in 1996.




Timeline


On 21 July 2020, Turkey issued a NAVTEX which encroached on Greek and Cypriot territorial waters for the ship Oruç Reis; an action widely considered illegal, which was condemned by the European Union and the United States. Turkey's justification for this is partially due to the fact that it has not signed the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and it disputes both Greece's and Cyprus' exclusive economic zones. As a result of this, the Hellenic Armed Forces were placed on alert. On 22 July, it was reported that tourists were beginning to leave Kastellorizo island due to the events of the previous day, and Turkish Air Force jets were being intercepted over the island by the Hellenic Air Force.
On 10 August, another NAVTEX was issued from Antalya, with the Oruç Reis being redeployed to the Eastern Mediterranean with a Turkish Navy escort. At some point a miscommunication ensued, where the Greek frigate Limnos hit and partially damaged the Turkish ship TCG Kemalreis; the incident caused outcry and was named a provocative action, while Greece claimed it was an accident. France deployed more forces to the region as a result of this.
At the end of August, Greece, Cyprus, France and Italy held a military exercise off the coast of Cyprus and used the Pafos Airport base where it was learnt that Greece had already two F-16s ready as a quick reaction force.




Aftermath


The European Union via a NATO mechanism ended the crisis; however, the Aegean dispute continues to this day.




See also


Greece–Turkey relations




References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Istanbul
• Angkatan Laut Kekhalifahan Awal
• 2020 Greek-Turkish maritime crisis
• 2020 Greek–Turkish border crisis
• Greece–Turkey relations
• Greeks in Turkey
• Turkish intervention in Libya (2020–present)
• European Union–Turkey relations
• Cyprus problem
• Economy of Greece
• Aegean dispute
• Cyprus