Ankara files complaint with NATO after Greek harassment of jets
ANKARA
Ankara has lodged a complaint with NATO after its jets conducting a NATO mission in the eastern Mediterranean were harassed by Greek warplanes.
Sources from the Defense Ministry informed that the incident took place in the eastern Mediterranean as the Greek jetfighters put the Turkish F-16s under a radar lock during their NATO mission.
The Turkish jetfighters gave the necessary response to the Greek warplanes which had to leave the area afterwards. Ankara sees the move as an attempt to target NATO activities at the expense of risking the alliance’s mission.
Both the Turkish Defense and Foreign ministries took necessary diplomatic actions after the incident, the sources said, informing that the NATO authorities were notified of the incident. Ankara complained over the Greek harassment of its jets during the alliance mission.
In addition, the Defense Ministry summoned the Greek military attaché in Ankara to reflect Türkiye’s reaction over the incident.
Greece, however, rejected the Turkish version of events. The Greek Defense Ministry said five Turkish jets appeared without prior notification to accompany a flight of U.S. B-52 bombers — which hadn’t been due to have a fighter escort — through an area subject to Greek flight control.
It said four Greek fighters were scrambled and chased off the armed Turkish planes, adding that Athens informed NATO and U.S. authorities of the incident.
The two countries are often at odds over their overlapping claims of air space and territorial waters in the Aegean and Mediterranean. Ankara accuses Athens of creating provocations in the region for its maximalist ambitions. Greece claims that it has a 10-mile air space although its territorial waters are six miles, in violation of international law and patterns.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg had initiated for the establishment of a de-confliction mechanism between Türkiye and Greece, but its meetings were stalled due to the latter’s non-participation.
Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has already repeated his call to his Greek counterpart for the fourth round of military-to-military talks but no answer has been given by Athens.
