Turkey issued a new Navigational Telex (NAVTEX) on Monday, by which
it blocks off a large sea area between the Greek islands of Rhodes and
the archipelago of Castellorizo.
The new NAVTEX, which expires on Wednesday, comes right after an initial NAVTEX was issued for the exact same area
on Friday.
The Friday NAVTEX expired on Monday morning.
Turkey claims that it wants ti use this area of the Mediterranean to
conduct oceanographic research with its vessel called "Bilim-2."
For this reason, Turkey's Oceanography, Navigation, and Hydrography office
issued a statement in which calls upon all vessels in the area to keep a
great distance from the "Bilim-2" ship.
Of course, this is not the first time Ankara has blocked off large areas of the seas between individual Greek islands.
By doing so, Turkey is attempting to establish a de-facto presence in the region, undermining
Greece's sovereign rights in the broader region of the Mediterranean Sea.
