ATHENS: A Greek gunboat on Wednesday collided with a Turkish patrol boatnear a disputed islet group in the Aegean, the Greek navy said.
“It was probably owing to an error on the part of the Turkish vessel,” aGreek navy source told AFP.
“The vessels’ sides came together. There was no damage and nobody was hurt.The incident is over,” the officer added.
The incident occurred near the uninhabited Imia islets, just off theTurkish coast and a historic flarepoint in a long-running demarcationdispute.
A year ago, Greece military bristled after a Turkish navy patrol boat firedshots during manoeuvres in the area, which Athens considers Greek waters.
The Imia islets — called Kardak in Turkey — lie just seven kilometres (4.5miles) from Bodrum.
A row over their sovereignty islets flared in January 1996, when the twocountries sent marines to two neighbouring islands in a sign of an imminentarmed confrontation.
They then withdrew their troops after heavy diplomatic pressure by theUnited States, a fellow member of NATO.