By Sputnik
The collision took place amid the tense relations between the countries in the area, which have further escalated of late, with Ankara accusing Athens of provocative actions in the Aegean Sea and threatening a response if it continues.
According to the Turkish Ministry of Transport, as quoted by the Reuters news agency, no casualties occurred as a result of the collision between a Turkish cargo ship and a Greek warship in the Aegean Sea.
“We have received information that there is no threat of sinkage, death, casualties or environmental pollution,” the ministry stated.
The information echoes reports from the Greek Navy, which claimed that a Turkish cargo vessel had nudged one of their gunboats.
Relations between the countries have been strained because of a number of issues, which range from old ones, such as the lack of an accord on Cyprus to more relevant ones, including the standoff around the disputed Imia (known in Turkey as Kardak) islands and Athens’ refusal to extradite Turkish citizens accused by Ankara of being involved in the attempted coup of 2016.
The wave of tensions further escalated in February due to a similar accident when a Turkish patrol boat rammed a Greek coast guard vessel off the island of Imia in the Aegean Sea.
