ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey has summoned Greece’s military attaché and filed a complaint with NATO after Greek fighter jets allegedly harassed Turkish fighter jets on an “important mission” for the military alliance, Turkey’s state news agency said on Tuesday.
Anadolu Agency said the Greek-owned F-16s harassed Turkish pilots flying the same model, putting the Turkish plane under radar jam during a NATO mission over the eastern Mediterranean.
Turkey “gave the necessary response” and forced the planes to leave the area, Anadolu said, without elaborating.
Anadolu reported that Turkey’s defense ministry notified NATO officials of the alleged harassment and summoned a Greek military official to Ankara, accusing Greece of threatening the NATO mission.
Greece rejected the Turkish version of events. The Defense Ministry said five Turkish jets appeared unannounced to escort a flight of US B-52 bombers, which were not supposed to be escorted by fighter jets, through the area under Greek control.
It said four Greek fighter jets were removed from the armed Turkish planes and chased them away, while Athens informed NATO and US authorities of the incident.
Greece also accused Turkey of 78 violations of Greek airspace on Tuesday by 23 planes, 15 of which were armed.
Although both NATO members, Turkey and Greece have long-standing disputes over a number of issues, including territorial claims in the Aegean Sea and disputes over airspace there. Disputes over the past half century have brought them to the brink of war three times.
In 2020, tensions flared over exploratory drilling rights in areas of the Mediterranean where Greece and Cyprus claim exclusive economic zones, leading to a naval standoff.
Turkey has accused Greece of violating international agreements by militarizing islands in the Aegean Sea. Athens says it needs to defend the islands — many of which lie off Turkey’s coast — from a potential attack by a large fleet of Turkish military amphibious ships.
https://www.indianagazette.com/news/turkey-says-greece-harassed-its-jets-during-nato-mission/article_fbabf8d6-97ce-5191-9cf6-c0b116ea5faf.html
