Turkish coast guard prevents Greek ships from approaching disputed Aegean islets

BODRUM

The Turkish Coast Guard prevented one Greek battleship and two Greek coast guard boats from approaching the disputed islets of Kardak on Jan. 3, Doğan News Agency has reported.

The two countries’ boats were 30 meters apart and ran parallel to each other off the coast of Bodrum’s Turgutreis neighborhood along the southern Aegean Coast, according to witnesses.

The Greek boats reportedly meant to head toward the disputed islets of Kardak during the five hours-long standoff, which began at around 10:00 a.m. local time.

The islets, “Imia” in Greek and “Kardak” in Turkish, are a pair of two small uninhabited rocks in the Aegean Sea, situated between the Greek island chain of the Dodecanese and the southwestern mainland coast of Turkey. Greece and Turkey nearly went to war over the islets in 1995.