Turkey warned Moscow to avoid further escalation of tensions after Russian naval forces attacked a Turkish cargo ship over the weekend, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office said.
“Following the Kremlin’s intervention, our partners in the Russian Federation were duly warned to avoid such actions that lead to an escalation of tensions in the Black Sea,” Erdogan said in a statement.
The ship Sukru Okan was sailing under the flag of Palau and was shelled by the Russian military on Sunday. They then boarded the vessel for inspection and later allowed it to proceed to the Ukrainian port of Izmail, through which Ukrainian agricultural products are exported.
“The captain of the dry cargo vessel did not respond to the request to stop for inspection for carriage of prohibited goods.
To forcefully stop the shipthe Russian warship opened warning fire from an automatic small-arms weapon,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The Russian Ministry of Defense also published footage of the landing of the Sukru Okan helicopter. They show men with assault rifles descending from the helicopter onto the ship’s deck and the crew on their knees. The Russian military asked the sailors questions and reviewed documents before wishing the crew a happy voyage.
The Turkish leadership has been criticized for not commenting on the incident. On Thursday, Erdoğan’s office said Palau was technically required to respond to the incident.
“Even if the owner of the Sukru Okan is Turkish, the ship does not sail under the Turkish flag,” Ankara said.
The ship “Sukru Okan”, at which Russia fired a warning shot, is located off the coast of Bulgaria
This is the first time that Russia has fired on a merchant ship outside Ukraine’s waters
Palau is a Pacific archipelagowhose flag is often used by shipping companies for free access to international ports, recalls AFP.
2023-08-17 19:44:20
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