Coast Guard patrol boat harassed by Turkish vessel off Farmakonisi

A Coast Guard patrol boat was harassed by a Turkish offshore vessel on Thursday morning off the Dodecanese island of Farmakonisi, the Coast Guard has said.

In a statement, the Coast Guard said its vessel was attempting to identify three Turkish fishing vessels that were fishing within Greek territorial waters, southeast of Farmakonisi.

The Coast Guard vessel was harassed by a Turkish vessel, which executed dangerous maneuvers with the aim of ramming it.

At one point, the Greek Coast Guard patrol boat fired warning shots in a safe area.

The incident ended when the Turkish vessel left the scene in the direction of the Turkish coast.