ANKARA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Turkish navy on Thursday stopped a Greek frigate from interfering with a Turkish research vessel operating in the eastern Mediterranean.

The Turkish seismic and drilling vessel, named Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa, was conducting research activities on the Turkish continental shelf in the Mediterranean when the incident happened, Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

It did not give the number of Turkish warships that took part in the operation.

In a written statement released late Thursday, Turkish Foreign Ministry slammed the interference move by Greece as "counter-productive and harmful" to bilateral relations and regional stability.

The ministry calls on Greece to abstain from such acts that would cause an escalation in the region, saying that Turkey will continue to exercise its sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its continental shelf.

Turkey has accelerated drilling activities in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean since last year, and plans to drill the country's first well in Mediterranean by the end of this year.

Turkey, Greece and Cyprus' internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government have overlapping claims of jurisdiction for offshore oil and gas research in eastern Mediterranean.