A serious incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday in the sea area of Karpasia, when two Turkish boats chased a Cypriot fishing boat that was fishing in international waters at a distance of 16 miles from the coast.
According to the owner of the fishing boat Aristo Aristeidou, the boat named "Maria-Bouboulina" was fishing in the area between the Turkish coast and Apostolos Andreas, when he was harassed by Turkish boats, which called on him to leave the area.
At that time, the captain of the ship replied that the boat was in international waters (ie more than 12 miles from the shore) and that he had been fishing at this point for years.
In consultation with the owner of the fishing vessel, the captain drove the ship 24 nautical miles offshore, but the harassment continued.
According to Mr. Aristeidou, the crew received a warning that if the fishing boat does not leave, it will be confiscated and the crew will be arrested.
As a result, Turkish boats accompanied the fishing boat to Apostolos Andreas, and then sailed to the port of Limassol.
It is noted that on the part of the owner company, the relevant representations were made at the Department of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture.
In statements to SigmaLive, the Minister of Agriculture, Costas Kadis, confirmed the incident and stated that the specific area falls into the sea area, which has been illegally committed by Turkey for investigations of Barbaros.
However, according to Mr. Aristeidou, the last time Turkish boats harassed Cypriot fishing vessels was 7 years ago, when the indications to leave the area were accompanied by shootings.
As he emphasizes, this is the only place where Cypriot ships can engage in fishing activity.
Source: SigmaLive