Greece has engaged in 1,123 violations of Türkiye’s airspace and coastal waters so far this year as tensions between the two countries are again on the rise with mutual accusations of rights violations.
According to Anadolu Agency (AA), last year, the total number of violations numbered 1,616.
The Greek armed forces harassed Turkish jets on mission flights by locking the radar for 3,372 seconds in 14 separate incidents from Aug. 15 to the present.
Moreover, on Sept. 1, Greece harassed the maritime patrol plane that was performing the "NATO Sea Guard Operation" mission in the south of Rhodes. While Defense Ministry sources emphasized that the aircraft in question was performing a NATO mission and was unarmed, they said that they had responded in kind within the framework of reciprocity principles.
The sources further stated that Türkiye retaliated against the harassment and violations as part of reciprocity principles and described Greece's excuses for these violations such as "not notifying the flight plan when entering the Athens FIR (flight information region)" as contrary to international law.
Greece acted contrary to the Chicago Convention, which regulates international air transport, by considering the FIR area as its sovereign territory and demanding flight plans from the planes.
Reiterating that Greece had attempted to invade Anatolia in 1919-1922 with the encouragement and support of some countries, the sources stated that Greece was disappointed at the failure, and as a result, executed its prime ministers, ministers and even the chief of staff.
The ministry sources said that focusing on a positive agenda and reducing tension will contribute to both bilateral relations and regional cooperation. "We are pleased to observe that some politicians, academics and retired soldiers in Greece use and understand the arguments we have expressed," they said.
They reiterated once again that they are waiting for the delegation of the Greek Defense Ministry, which was invited to Ankara for the fourth round of talks on confidence-building measures.
Historic rivals while also being fellow members of NATO, Türkiye and Greece have been at odds over issues ranging from overflights and the status of Aegean islands to maritime boundaries and hydrocarbon resources in the Mediterranean, as well as ethnically split Cyprus.
Ankara has recently been angered by harassment of its jets by Greek forces. Türkiye has said that S-300 air defense systems used by Greece had locked on to Turkish jets during a routine flight.