The French research vessel “Abeille Marengo” is ready to set sail from Heraklion to conduct the necessary surveys for the Greece – Cyprus (GSI) project, following the issuance of the Greek and Cypriot NAVTEX notices.
The vessel will be monitored remotely using autonomous systems, using unmanned vehicles if necessary, and surface vessels depending on how the situation develops once the bathymetric surveys begin. It will take several hours to reach the specific survey area south of Karpathos.
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The cable’s route intersects the illegal Turkish-Libyan memorandum and essentially passes through areas where Ankara is illegally asserting claims.
Before the Greek NAVTEX was issued, all possible scenarios were examined, and preparations have been made for every eventuality.
According to a report by SKAI, Ankara’s reaction—which came in the form of an immediate counter-NAVTEX—and, even more so, the subsequent statement by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirm what many had already anticipated: that the Turkish side has no intention of abandoning its claims or its own interpretation of how maritime zones should be defined.
Two key conclusions can be drawn from Turkey’s reaction: that Ankara is exploiting the illegal Turkish-Libyan memorandum, which was recently ratified by the House of Representatives in Benghazi, to justify its claims and assert a voice and role in the region. And second, that as of yesterday, no steps had been taken to provide the information requested by the Turkish side regarding the surveys to be conducted by the French research vessel.
READ ALSO: Tensions Escalate Over GSI: Turkey Deploys UAVs, Monitors the Area Where the Cable Will Be Laid
Specifically, the Turkish NAVTEX states that “All research activities in maritime areas under Turkish jurisdiction must be coordinated with the relevant Turkish authorities.”
In other words, Ankara did not limit itself to issuing an informational notice that merely listed coordinates, but incorporated an entire rationale into the NAVTEX, reiterating its request for coordination, which has reportedly been suggested could be addressed through a written notification.
SKAI correspondent Manolis Kostidis spoke of a “serious impasse,” referring to bellicose Turkish scenarios.
READ ALSO: Turkey is haggling over the cable: “The Cyprus-Greece NAVTEX notices are invalid; no permit request has been submitted to us”
Turkish UAV in the area south of Karpathos
There was intense activity by Turkish unmanned aerial vehicles in the northeastern and southeastern Aegean, according to protothema.gr, with flights extending from the Kesani area to Karpathos.
According to reports, a Turkish UAV, with the call sign VATOZ17, was flying south of Karpathos, conducting repeated surveillance circuits in the area where the Greece–Cyprus power interconnection cable is to be laid.
According to the same sources, an unmanned aerial vehicle of the AKINCI or ANKA type, which took off from the naval base in Dalaman and is carrying out a mission to clarify the surface situation, with the aim of monitoring activity in that specific maritime area.
The UAV appears to periodically turn its tracking transmitter on and off, making it intermittently invisible to flight tracking systems.
SEE ALSO: A Dual Message from Athens and Nicosia Regarding the GSI: NAVTEX, Anti-NAVTEX, and What Comes Next
According to available information, it is the Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle that is operating closest to the area of the planned operations.
Source: skai.gr / protothema.gr
