Turkey Issues NAVTEX Challenging Greek Authority Over Kastellorizo Sea Exercise

On Friday, Turkey’s maritime authority issued a NAVTEX bulletin that duplicated the coordinates of the multinational EUNOMIA exercise scheduled south of Kastellorizo, declaring the sector under Turkish jurisdiction and labeling the Greek Heraklion station’s earlier notice as invalid. The Turkish message mirrors the Greek announcement made on Thursday, which had been issued late. The timing coincides with the upcoming survey of the Crete-Cyprus electrical interconnector, for which the research vessel Abeille Marengo will need clearance once the relevant notice is published.

Greece’s naval signal service ELAS described the Turkish NAVTEX as a direct provocation and an illegal act, calling on the government to safeguard the cable project and seek support from allies. The incident underscores the broader contest over maritime rights and the strategic importance of the planned under-sea cable linking Crete and Cyprus.