Turkey has issued a navigational telex (Navtex) announcing that its research vessel Piri Reis will carry out scientific surveys in the Aegean Sea starting Monday, a move likely to stoke tensions with Greece over jurisdiction in contested waters.
The Navtex, valid for 10 days and issued by Turkey’s Izmir station, sets out a route west of Lesvos, south of Chios and towards the islet of Kalogeros, officials said. Parts of the route pass through areas lying within Greek territorial waters and over the Greek continental shelf.
Athens responded with its own Navtex, issued from the Limnos station, challenging Ankara’s notice and the authority behind it. Greek officials said the vessel’s movements would be closely monitored at sea and through diplomatic channels.
The planned passage near Kalogeros carries symbolic weight, as Turkey has long objected to the islet’s inclusion in a permanent Greek military firing range.
Although oceanographic surveys are not considered a direct provocation, Greek officials view the Turkish notice as a breach of established practice in the Aegean. The timing has drawn attention, coming days after developments south of Crete and renewed debate over a planned Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection.
Ankara has recently sharpened its rhetoric on its rights in the Eastern Mediterranean. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey’s claims must be respected, comments widely interpreted as a response to U.S. energy company Chevron’s proposal for exploration blocks south of Crete, ignoring a Turkey-Libya maritime accord.
Relations between NATO allies Greece and Turkey remain strained over maritime zones, energy exploration and military activities in the region.