A Turkish coast guard patrol boat and a Hellenic Navy gunboat were involved in an incident on Wednesday in a sea region near the rocky islets of Imia, east of the major eastern Aegean island of Kalymnos.
The two rocky islets – which Ankara has dubbed as “Kardak” – were at the center of a near clash between Greek and Turkish forces in late January 1996, the worst crisis between the two countries and NATO members since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974.
According to Greek military sources, vessels came in contact due to the poor handling on the part of the Turkish skipper. The same sources said the incident was not the first of its kind.
The Greek vessel was on a routine patrol of the sea region, according to reports.
