Turkmen navy sinks Iranian fishing boat
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 1 February 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Turkmen navy sinks Iranian fishing boat, 1 February 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/54e1a4909.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
February 01, 2015
A missile ship of Turkmen navy takes part in an anti-terrorist naval exercise on the Caspian sea coast in September 2012
Iranian media has reported that Turkmen naval vessels fired on an Iranian fishing boat killing one of the fishermen and sinking the boat.
The Tehran Times reported on February 1 that the incident happened in December when Turkmenistan's navy "shot a number of fishermen in the Caspian Sea without prior warning."
IRNA reported the surviving Iranian fishermen were taken into custody by Turkmen forces and as yet "there is no exact information about the fate of [the] crew."
IRNA called the attack "a move beyond diplomatic norms and contrary to international law," while the Iran Daily said it was "against international conventions."
Such incidents are rare between Iran and Turkmenistan but the status of the Caspian Sea and its maritime borders are still not settled between the countries surrounding it – Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Iran.
The Caspian Sea has also become a transit route for narcotics coming from Afghanistan and all the Caspian littoral states have been building their naval and maritime security forces.
Based on reporting by the Tehran Times, Iran Daily, and IRNA
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
