ANKARA, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Turkey pushed back a Cypriot research vessel from where Ankara claims as its continental shelf in the Mediterranean, semi-official Anadolu Agency reported Monday.

Cyprus issued a Navtex on Sept. 29 for research activity by the Malta-flagged Nautical Geo vessel in an area which also "covered Turkish continental shelf," the agency quoted Turkish Defense Ministry officials as saying.

Turkey launched diplomatic initiatives with Malta, the flag state of the vessel, and Italy, where its owner company is located, and also issued Notmar and Navtex alerts on Oct. 1 to inform seafarers that the activity must be coordinated with itself.

But the Nautical Geo research vessel tried to "enter the Turkish continental shelf without permission," and it was warned by a ship belonging to the Turkish Navy and was "pushed out of the region," the agency reported.

Turkey has long been at loggerheads with Greece and Cyprus over their territorial claims in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Last month, Greece issued a Navtex alert for research by the Nautical Geo vessel for Sept. 16-22 in the east of Crete, and Turkey responded with a counter naval alert.

The escalation comes after months of calm since early 2021 after the two neighbors agreed to resume diplomatic and military channels to address their disputes.

The tension between Turkey and Greece escalated in the region during 2020 over seismic surveys conducted by Turkish vessels in disputed waters, as well as agreements for delimitation of maritime borders Turkey and Greece reached with other countries in the Mediterranean. Enditem

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