Turkey on Monday decried the illegal search of a Turkish-flagged ship carrying humanitarian supplies to Libya, a search carried out by a German frigate serving under a Greek-commanded EU naval mission.
TURKISH VESSEL WAS ONLY CARRYING PAINT AND PAINT MATERIALS
“We regret the hours-long detention of the Turkish ship from its route under severe weather conditions and the fact that its crew was treated as criminals during the search,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy, denying that the ship has violated the UN arms embargo on Libya.
Aksoy stressed that Turkey protests the move, saying it was “carried out without authority and through use of force.”
He said the incident might incur a demand for compensation for damages or losses, adding: “It is essential to obtain the consent of the flag state in order to intervene in commercial ships in international waters. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions on the Libyan arms embargo do not eliminate this obligation.”
Aksoy noted that the Turkish vessel was only carrying paint, paint materials, and humanitarian aid to Libya’s port of Misrata, and the captain of the ship cooperated with the frigate and provided detailed information to them.
However, the armed elements of Operation Irini conducted an hours-long search of the vessel, including forcibly searching the captain and crew, he added. “All the crew members were brought together and detained, while the containers were being searched by force, with an armed soldier standing over the captain,” Aksoy said.