Turkey urges Russia to de-escalate in Black Sea after vessel incident
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Erdogan's office asked Russia through a statement to avoid future inspections of cargo ships such as the Sukru Okan vessel inspected on Sunday for prohibited cargo.
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An undated image of the Sukru Okan vessel (Marine Traffic)
According to the office of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey urged Russia to avoid escalating in the Black Sea after an incident involving warning shots at a cargo vessel.
The warning shots were fired at the Palau-flagged Sukru Okan general cargo vessel by Russia's Vasily Bykov patrol ship of the Black Sea Fleet on Sunday which was en route to the Ukrainian port of Izmail. The attempt aimed at stopping the ship's movement to inspect it.
In its statement, the office said: "Following [Russia's] intervention, our partners in the Russian Federation were appropriately warned to avoid such attempts, which lead to escalation of tensions in the Black Sea".
Footage of the inspection was posted on Tuesday by the Russian Defense Ministry showing a Russian Ka-29 helicopter overflight of Sukru Okan and the moments when Russian servicepeople boarded the ship, checked for documentation and looked for prohibited cargo.
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On Sunday when the inspection was done, Russia's defense ministry released a statement saying: "To forcibly stop the vessel, warning fire was opened from automatic weapons," adding that "after the inspection group completed its work on board, the Sukru Okan continued on its way to the port of Izmail."
Earlier last month, the Kremlin cautioned that attempting to move grain from Ukrainian Black Sea ports without Russian security assurances would be dangerous since Kiev exploited the seas for military purposes.
As for the grain deal, a source involved with the talks being held in Ankara between the US and Turkey regarding alternatives to the Black Sea Grain Deal told Sputnik on Wednesday that talks are centered around proposals but no specifics have been given.
"These were proposals from the West, in particular the United States. So far, everything was at the stage of discussions, there are no specific decisions or a plan yet," the source stated, adding that Turkey remains in talks with the UN, Russia, and the West to resume the deal.
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