18 August 2023; MEMO: Turkiye warned Russia after an incident involving a cargo ship in the Black Sea which took place within international waters, Reuters reports.
According to the report, the “Sukru Okan” vessel was flying the flag of Palau when it was fired on by the Russian Navy last Sunday.
“After the (Russian) intervention, our interlocutors in the Russian Federation were warned appropriately to avoid such attempts, which escalate tensions in the Black Sea,” the Turkish Presidency said.
Russian military personnel then boarded the ship to conduct an inspection, before letting it sail on toward the Ukrainian port of Izmail – the main export route for Ukrainian agricultural products, the report added.
The incident came during a spike in attacks in the Black Sea region that followed Russia’s decision to withdraw from a landmark Ukrainian grain deal last month.
Turkiye helped broker the UN-backed agreement, using its good relations with both Moscow and Kiev to help strike the only major deal reached by the sides during the war.
Palau is a Pacific archipelago whose flag is often used by shipping companies to freely access international ports.
