Thirty-six professional fishermen in Greece have sent an extra-judicial notice to the Greek government charging that Turkish coast guard vessels and rival fishermen from the neighboring country are systematically encroaching on Greek territorial waters in the eastern Aegean.
The notice, essentially a pre-litigation subpoena outlining one side's legal arguments and possible court action, also charges that the Greek coast guard is failing to respond to the alleged provocations.
"... we consider, that as residents of the border region, we are before an unequal and undeclared war with our competitor Turkish fishermen and Turkish patrol boats, which are facilitating illegal fishing," the notice states.
The group of professional fishermen added that officials in Greece are unmoved by repeated complaints, citing concerns over the possibility of increased tension in Greek-Turkish relations.
