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2020 Greek–Turkish maritime crisis
Part of the Aegean dispute
Date July–September 2020 Location Mainly around Kastellorizo Result Deconflicted
Belligerents
Greece  Cyprus	Turkey
Commanders and leaders
Kyriakos Mitsotakis Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos Konstantinos Floros	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Hulusi Akar Yaşar Güler
Units involved
Hellenic Air Force  Hellenic Navy Cypriot National Guard	Turkish Air Force  Turkish Navy
Strength
Unknown number of naval vessels 2 F-16s	19 ships 4 aircraft
Casualties and losses
None	TCG Kemalreis frigate slightly damaged

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

1. ^ Psaropoulos, John T. "Annus horribilis: Key Greek-Turkish developments in 2020". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
2. christoforos.c (2024-11-25). "A Legal Analysis of the Latest Conundrum in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea". CCEIA. Retrieved 2024-11-22. On 21 July 2020, the Antalya Navtex Station issued a navigational warning announcing the performance of seismic activities by the survey vessel 'Oruç Reis' until 02 August 2020. Eventually, the vessel did not leave the port of Antalya.
3. "Αιγαίο: Μεγάλη η συγκέντρωση ναυτικών δυνάμεων στην περιοχή του Καστελόριζου, όλες οι τελευταίες εξελίξεις". Defence Review (in Greek). 2020-07-21. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
4. "Between Maritime Law and Politics in the East Mediterranean | The Washington Institute". www.washingtoninstitute.org. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
5. "Σε ετοιμότητα ο ελληνικός στόλος: Επιφυλακή στο Αιγαίο μετά την τουρκική NAVTEX | LiFO". www.lifo.gr (in Greek). 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
6. "Greek PM warns Turkey over Eastern Mediterranean survey". POLITICO. 2020-07-21. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
7. Φακαλής, Τίμος (1980-01-01). "Καστελόριζο: Αδειάζει από τουρίστες το νησί μετά την ένταση στο Αιγαίο". ΕΘΝΟΣ (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-11-22.
8. "Άδειασε από τουρίστες το Καστελόριζο μετά την τουρκική κλιμάκωση στην περιοχή". Άδειασε από τουρίστες το Καστελόριζο μετά την τουρκική κλιμάκωση στην περιοχή. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
9. ΜΑΡΟΥΛΙΔΗΣ, ΝΙΚΟΣ (2020-07-22). "Καστελλόριζο: Οι τουρκικές προκλήσεις έδιωξαν τους τουρίστες – Ακυρώθηκαν μέχρι και κρατήσεις". iefimerida.gr (in Greek). Retrieved 2024-11-22.
10. "July 2020 – Daily Incidents of Violations & Infringements". geetha.mil.gr.
11. Agency, Anadolu (2020-08-11). "Turkish navy escorts Oruç Reis vessel in Eastern Mediterranean". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
12. Kambas, Michele; Gumrukcu, Tuvan (14 August 2020). "Greek, Turkish warships in 'mini collision' Ankara calls provocative". reuters.com.
13. "Erdogan threatens Greece over energy dispute – DW – 08/13/2020". dw.com. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
14. Tuysuz, Gul (2020-08-25). "NATO allies are facing off in the Eastern Mediterranean. The conflict could entangle the entire region". CNN. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
15. Tomaras, Apostolos. "French and Greek fighter jets at Paphos air base". knews.com.cy. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
16. fm (2020-08-26). "Cyprus, Greece, France, Italy in joint East Med drills". Financial Mirror. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
17. "Maritime disputes in the eastern Mediterranean: Why and why now?". sipri.org. 23 October 2020. The new NATO-brokered deconfliction mechanism can reduce the chances that clashes will occur by mistake with the attendant risk of escalation into a more serious crisis. The EU's efforts to promote bilateral talks between Greece and Turkey, as the core adversaries in the wider controversy, may yet bear some fruit.

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