Turkish Coast Guard Opens Fire On Cyprus' Coast Guard Boat - Reports

ATHENS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th July, 2021) A Turkish coast guard vessel opened fire on a Cypriot coast guard boat off Tylliria coast in the island's northwest, Cyprus' CNA news agency reported Friday.

The Cypriot port and maritime police boat with three crew members on board was on a routine patrol for undocumented migrants from Turkey in the Kato Pyrgos Tylliria area when it came upon the Turkish coast guard, according to the report. The incident happened at dawn some 11 nautical miles from the Kato Pyrgos Tylliria port.

The Turkish coast guard vessel chased off the Cypriot boat by opening warning fire. There were a total of four warning shots fired, CNA said.

Cypriot broadcaster RIK reported that the Turkish coast guard continued to chase the Cypriot boat almost all the way to the fishing port of Kato Pyrgos, where it took shelter.

Cypriot Defense Ministry spokesman Christos Pieris noted that it was not a simple incident and stressed that "the case is being investigated and the operational center of the National Guard is gathering information for the responsible ministry to take action," as quoted by RIK.

The incident has already been reported to the Cypriot Foreign Ministry, which, in turn, will inform the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus, UNFICYP.