Turkish vessel fires on Greek coast guard ship near Lesbos

12 April 2025 , 19:50

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Turkish vessel fires on Greek coast guard ship near Lesbos

A Turkish vessel opened fire on a Greek coast guard boat during an attempted inspection in Greek territorial waters off the coast of Lesbos island in the eastern Aegean Sea on Saturday morning.

According to Ekathimerini, the incident occurred at 8 a.m. Preliminary reports state that the suspects fired three shots from a Kalashnikov rifle toward the Greek vessel.

The Greek coast guard returned fire, forcing the Turkish boat to flee back toward the Turkish coast. There were no injuries reported on the Greek side. The coast guard ship later returned to the port of Mytilene.

Greece’s Ministry of Shipping has yet to issue an official statement or comment on the incident.

Although Greece and Turkey are NATO allies, they have long-standing disputes on a number of issues. In late 2023, Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis and Turkish President Erdoğan signed the Athens Declaration to normalize bilateral relations.

However, the demarcation of maritime borders remains an unresolved issue between the two countries.

Sophia Martinez

World Affairs Correspondent