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Photo of the place Kato Pyrgos in northwestern Cyprus (archive image)
Photo: PATRICK BAZ / AFP
According to information from Cyprus, the crew of a Turkish patrol boat fired four warning shots in the direction of a Cypriot coast guard boat on Friday morning.
The ship was forced to seek refuge in the small Cypriot port of Kato Pyrgos, a spokesman for the Cypriot police said on television.
The Cypriot boat was therefore eleven nautical miles off the coast (Cyprus) and controlled the region to avert illegal migration, it said.
The three officers of the Cypriot coast guard tried to "avoid any incident" and finally headed for the port.
The shots were fired four nautical miles from Kato Pyrgos.
The port is not far from the demarcation line between the Greek and Turkish controlled parts of the island.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974.
At that time, the northern part of the Mediterranean island was occupied by Turkey.
The UN has been trying to mediate for years.
There is a buffer zone between the two parts of Cyprus, which is monitored by UN peacekeeping forces.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is recognized exclusively by Ankara.
Increasing migration via Cyprus to the EU
The relationship between Cyprus and Turkey has been tense for decades because of the division.
The situation has worsened in the past few months due to smugglers who repeatedly bring migrants from Turkey to Cyprus and thus also to the EU.
The people are first brought from Turkey to the Turkish Cypriot north of the island.
Although the dividing line to the south of the island is strictly monitored, the migrants then cross it over rough terrain.
The refugee camps of the small island republic are overcrowded.
fek / dpa / AFP