A new period of questioning of Greek jurisdiction, especially with regard to Search and Rescue in the Aegean, begins in Turkey with the "good morning" of Erdogan's new cabinet.
At 06:50 in the morning an alarm was sounded in the operations room of the Coast Guard - Hellenic Coast Guard for a person in the sea in the area east-southeast of Ai Stratis and forces were immediately mobilized to carry out a search and rescue operation. Two Coast Guard vessels, four floating vessels and an Air Force helicopter rushed to the scene.
The operation concerned the identification of a foreign man whose boat was found to be sailing empty.
Winds of force 6 Beaufort are blowing in the area. The boat is towed to Agios Efstratios...
Nine minutes later, i.e. at 06:59 in the morning, Turkey wanting to continue the question of Greek jurisdiction in the area - after the refusal of the Turkish crew of the cargo ship ANT on Friday to accept Greek assistance - to carry out search operations and rescue, issued without any jurisdiction an instruction to seafarers (NAVTEX) which is therefore illegal. Bind an entire area.
Turkish NAVTEX reports that the Greek-flagged sailing vessel Niriida sent out a distress signal and Turkish coast guard vessels immediately rushed to the spot, found the vessel unruly and called on all nearby vessels to coordinate and report any findings to the Turkish coast guard.
In fact, Turkey, through the General Maritime Directorate of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, released, on the occasion of the incident, a map with which they bring back the issue of the 25th meridian in the Aegean and the areas of jurisdiction dividing it.
Soon the two vessels of the Turkish Coast Guard appeared in the area, however there was cooperation with the crews of the Coast Guard vessels... The search for the missing person is ongoing. According to information, the missing person is an American citizen and the boat had left a marina in Kalamaria bound for a port in Turkey.
Apart from the questioning of Greek sovereignty by Turkey, the case also has a dose of mystery, as if the only passenger of the sailboat fell into the sea, who sent the distress signal?
All this leaves an… esance of mystery. Many scenarios. Is this a case where the missing person felt unwell and before falling into the sea sent the distress signal? Is this a staged disappearance in order to challenge Greek jurisdiction in the region?
Is this a criminal act? The only thing that is certain is that Turkey hastened to take advantage of this case by sequestering an entire area for three-day search and rescue operations without having any jurisdiction.
In any case, the result fortunately is that the great mobilization from the Greek side has not given Turkey the opportunity to act in an attempt to take control with Athens making "checkmate" in Ankara for the second time in a row in a few days.
