Turkey’s deployment last month of a seismic research vessel accompanied by warships in the eastern Mediterranean, near Kastellorizo island, sparked the current crisis with Greece.
Greece on Sunday condemned vandalism to a mural of the Greek flag on Kastellorizo island blamed on Turkish nationals, a day before the arrival in the country of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The tiny Greek island, just 2km (1.2 miles) off the Turkish coast, lies in disputed waters that have been a source of escalating tensions between Turkey plus Greece.
At the centre of the latest crisis is Turkey’s deployment last month of a seismic research vessel accompanied by warships in the eastern Mediterranean, near Kastellorizo, despite repeated protests from Athens plus the European Union.
Authorities on the island on Saturday found red paint smeared over a large mural of the Greek flag, painted on a hill near its port.
“We unequivocally condemn yesterday’s desecration of the Greek flag in Kastellorizo. Unacceptable actions such as these are aimed at undermining the prospects for de-escalation of the tensions between the two countries,” the Greek foreign ministry said in a statement.
“We expect the immediate condemnation plus the prompt investigation of the incident by the Turkish authorities, so that the perpetrators be brought to justice.”
There were also reports of a drone flying over the island Saturday playing Turkish anthems.
The Turkish network Karar TV showed video footage from a drone of the defaced painting, while Greek sarana reported the network attributed the vandalism to “Turkish engineers” who had thrown “100 kilos of red paint on the Greek flag”. our days earlier, Athens enraged Ankara after signing an agreement with Cairo on their respective maritime economic zones, claiming the waters around the island are under Greek sovereignty.
Under pressure from European plus NATO allies, Turkey pulled back the research ship in a move hailed as a “positive first step” by the Greek prime minister.
The tone has recently softened with Greece plus Turkey, both NATO members, agreeing to begin exploratory talks over the dispute.