Kastellorizo

Two individuals accused of spying against Greece are set to testify before a prosecutor on the southeastern Aegean island of Rhodes on Monday.

Greek authorities have arrested two individuals accused of espionage in a case that could further strain relations between Greece and Turkey.

One of the suspects has been identified as a 35-year-old secretary at the Turkish Consulate on the southeastern Aegean island of Rhodes and has been given until Monday to prepare his defense.

Two suspects accused of spying against Greece were Friday formally arrested by the authorities.

A secretary at the Turkish Consulate on Rhodes will face a magistrate this week on espionage charges after a 54-year-old galley cook allegedly admitted to being recruited by the diplomat over the summer to keep tabs on Greek ships in the southeastern Aegean.

Two Greek men on the island of Rhodes have been arrested on suspicion of spying against Greece, police said late on Saturday.

It did not specify on whose behalf the suspects were allegedly spying.

In a message on Navtex, the international maritime navigational telex system, Turkey said Saturday it would carry out "military exercises" on Monday in a zone southeast of Greece's island of Crete.

On Friday, Ankara announced that a firing exercise would take place on December 9 and 10 in the sea area between the Greek islands of Rhodes and Kastellorizo

Turkish authorities on Friday issued a navigational for firing exercises in the Mediterranean, in an area between the Greek islands of Rhodes and Kastellorizo.

The Navtex reserves the area for December 9 and 10, which will coincide with a European Council summit on December 10 and 11 during which possible sanctions against Ankara will be discussed.

The conclusions at the upcoming European Council on December 10 and 11 must give Turkey a clear signal that its behavior has moved beyond acceptable limits and is unacceptable, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias told the Bloomberg network on Friday, as the Turkish Oruc Reis research vessel made its closest passage yet through the Kastellorizo complex on Thursday night, coming within 7 nautical mile

Turkey's research vessel Oruc Reis reached even up to 7 nautical miles off Greece's island of Kastellorizo late Thursday, before gradually moving outside the Greek continental shelf, Kathimerini understands.

A Turkish research vessel sent by Ankara to conduct survey for energy resources south of the island of Kastellorizo was sailing outside of Greece's territorial waters, the Hellenic Navy General Staff (HNGS) said on Wednesday evening.

The ship is sailing northeast at a speed of 4 knots at the border of the Ankara's illegal maritime notice (Navtex).