In the early morning of July 16, the Turkish coast guard fired on a Cyprus coast guard boat in the Tilliria region in the northwest of the island. This was reported by the Cypriot agency CNA, reports the TV channel “Zvezda”.
“A serious provocation by the Turkish Coast Guard, which opened fire on a boat of the Cyprus Coast Guard, which was carrying out regular patrols. At around 3.30 am, a small ship with three crew members of the Maritime Police and Coast Guard, while on regular patrols to combat illegal immigration from Turkey, spotted a Turkish Coast Guard boat 11 nautical miles from the port of Kato Pyrgos”, – CNA reported.
According to the agency, the Turkish coast guard fired four warning shots. It is also noted that the Turkish coast guard pursued the Cypriot boat before it entered the port.
Cypriot Defense Ministry spokesman Christos Pieris highlighted the seriousness of the incident and said Cyprus was patrolling coastal areas to cope with the flow of migrants from Turkey.