Turkey initiates criminal case after EU force stops vessel for inspection in Mediterranean

Turkey has initiated a criminal case over the inspection of its cargo ship in the Mediterranean by UN-backed European Union naval mission Irini, which conducts monitoring operations to enforce an arms embargo on Libya. According to reports, Turkey launched a protest with German and Italian ambassadors in Ankara hours after its cargo ship Roseline-A was stopped and searched by Germany's Hamburg warship commanded by the Italian Navy. The complaint was initiated by the Turkey's prosecutor's office in Ankara. 

The cargo ship was on its way to Libya on Monday when it was stopped in the Mediterranean. Turkey dismissed that the vessel was carrying any sanctioned material and described the search as "unauthorised" and "illegal". According to reports, German and Italian ambassadors were summoned by the Turkish foreign ministry hours after the search and were handed a note of protest. 

Read: Turkey Sentences Over 300 People To Life Imprisonment Over Failed Coup In 2016

The European Union in March this year launched Operation Irini with an aim to enforce the UN arms embargo on war-torn Libya. The mission has been described as a "joke" by many, including the UN deputy special envoy for Libya Stephanie Williams, as critics argue the operation has failed to do its job because arms and weapons are still reaching the African country. 

EU-Turkey relations

This comes amid the rising tensions between the European Union and Turkey concerning the latter's actions in the Mediterranean. Until recently, Turkey and Greece, which is a member of the EU, were at loggerheads in the Mediterranean over mining rights and the Cyprus issue, an island nation divided into two parts after Ankara's invasion in the 1970s created a Turkish Cypriot state in the north and a Greek Cypriot state in the south. 

Read: German Defense Minister Karrenbauer Rejects Turkey Complaint Over Search

Turkey's relations with France have also soured in the recent past after Ankara accused Paris of favouring Greece in the Mediterranean. The relations took a drastic hit after France recalled its ambassador from Ankara over Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's derogatory remarks against his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron following the latter's justification of Prophet Mohammed cartoons as freedom of speech and expression.  

Read: Erdogan Says Turkey's Place Is In Europe Before EU Summit

This followed by European Union members, including Greece and France calling for sanctions against Turkey over Erdogan's visit to Turkish Cypriot this month. The EU has also threatened sanctions against Turkey over what it calls "illegal" gas exploration in the Mediterranean. 

Read: Turkey's President Erdogan Calls For Cyprus Talks Based On 'two Separate States'

(Image Credit: AP)