Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement to protest against the search of Turkish merchant ships by German warships.
The statement said that the Turkish merchant ship Rosseling-A, which departed from the port of Ambal in Istanbul, Turkey, to Misrata, Libya, was a ship carrying humanitarian relief supplies.
At 17:45 on 22 November, the armed men of the German warship Hamburg boarded the Rosselling-A and carried out a search operation. The statement said that the search operation was suspended without the consent of the Turkish government and the captain, which was suspended after continuous protests from the Turkish side. The armed men left the Rosséline-A on the morning of the 23rd.
It is reported that the operation of the German warship Hamburg is part of the European Union’s Operation Illini.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it regretted the seizure of the ship, saying that the Turkish ship did not violate the requirements of the arms embargo, while protesting “such unauthorized and brutal behavior” and considering the EU’s “Operation Ilini” a biased action.
On the 23rd, the German government said it was “concerned” about Turkey’s suspension of the German navy’s search for a ship suspected of delivering weapons to Libya.
The European Union launched a maritime operation code-named “Ilini” in the eastern Mediterranean Sea on March 31 to prevent weapons from reaching Libyan belligerents.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the European Union Ambassador and the German Chargé d’affaires to protest against the search of Turkish ships.
On the evening of November 23rd local time, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the European Union Ambassador to Turkey, the Italian Ambassador to Turkey and the Chargé d’affaires of the German Embassy in Turkey to protest against the search of the Turkish merchant ship Roseline-A without the permission of the Turkish government.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it had submitted a diplomatic note to the envoy summoned, saying that the search violated international law and that the Turkish side reserved the right to claim compensation.
