Turkey issues warning to Moscow in response to Black Sea cargo ship incident

Turkey’s government sent a warning to Moscow requesting that it avoid further escalation after Russian forces fired warning shots to stop a cargo ship in the Black Sea on Sunday, according to the Center for Combating Disinformation under the Turkish presidency’s communications directorate.

“After [Russia’s] interference, our partners in the Russian Federation were appropriately warned about the importance of avoiding such activities, which can lead to the escalation of tensions in the Black Sea,” read the agency’s statement.

According to the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah, Turkish President Recep Erdoğan’s office issued the warning in response to criticism it received for not commenting publicly on the incident. The Center for Combating Disinformation reportedly said that it’s technically up to Palau to respond to the incident as the ship was flying that country’s flag.