Greek Coast Guard chases boat close to Turkish coast in a potential diplomatic incident

ISTANBUL — A Greek Coast Guard boat chased an inflatable dinghy to within a few dozen meters of the Turkish coast Friday, local media reported, threatening a diplomatic incident between the neighbors.

Turkish news website Bodrum Kent TV published a video it said showed the Greek vessel chasing the Zodiac-style dinghy — thought to be linked to people trafficking — in Turkish territorial waters at Akcabuk Bay, near Bodrum, southwest Turkey.

The inflatable boat, reportedly carrying one person, landed in front of a holiday complex as the Greek boat abruptly gave up its pursuit and sped away from the Turkish shore.

“Our assigned Coast Guard elements immediately arrived at the scene of the incident and it was determined that the Greek Coast Guard element quickly returned to its own territorial waters,” the Turkish Coast Guard said in a statement. “Search efforts initiated to find the person who escaped into the forest area and is considered to be a migrant smuggler are continuing.”

The Greek Coast Guard confirmed that a patrol boat had been chasing a smuggling speedboat in the area but could not confirm that the pursuit continued into Turkish waters.

Turkey’s west coast is a regular launch point for vessels carrying refugees trying to reach nearby Greek islands. The Greek island of Kos lies some 6 kilometers (4 miles) from where the incident took place Friday morning.

The Greek Coast Guard often intercepts people trafficking boats. Ankara has accused Greece of forcing such vessels back into Turkish waters.

“I was surprised when I saw a Greek Coast Guard boat enter Akcabuk Bay ... When I looked carefully, I saw that it was chasing a boat, then it suddenly turned back and left the bay,” the Sozcu newspaper quoted eyewitness Cemre Ozdemir Pekoglu as saying.

Territorial claims in the eastern Mediterranean and Aegean Seas are a frequent cause of tension between Greece and Turkey, which have come close to war three times in the past half-century.

In 2021, Turkish and Greek warships shadowed each other and briefly collided during a heated dispute over exploration rights to potential offshore energy reserves.