Turkey prevents Greek ships from approaching disputed islets

ANKARA, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- A warship and two coast guard boats from Greece were intercepted by Turkey's Coast Guard while they were approaching disputed islets in Aegean on Wednesday.

The standoff between vessels from the two countries has lasted five hours, Dogan News Agency reported.

The ships ran parallelly off the coast of Bodrum's Turgutreis neighborhood along the southern Aegean Coast.

The report said Greek boats intended to head toward the disputed islets, Known as Imia islets by Greece and Kardak islets by Turkey.

The islets are a pair of two small uninhabited rocks in the Aegean Sea, located between the Greek island chain of the Dodecanese and the southwestern mainland coast of Turkey.

Greece and Turkey nearly went to war over the islets in 1995. Enditem