Amid a war of words with Türkiye over the Aegean Sea, Greece conducted a military exercise that may further fuel tensions. The “Alexandros” exercise included scenarios such as landing troops on small islets, seizing uninhabited rocky outcrops and conducting nighttime operations.
Türkiye and Greece have occasionally taken steps that could translate into a greater conflict in the future, but they have generally favored maintaining good relations, especially amid a climate of rapprochement under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Mitsotakis, however, appears to be reversing his earlier, warmer rhetoric. He asserted Greece’s “inalienable right” to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean earlier this month, days after his country signed a historic defense deal with Türkiye’s longtime adversary, Israel. Experts say this newfound confidence could upset the relative calm.
The Alexandros exercise came against this backdrop. At least 70 fighter jets were mobilized, while special forces and ground units in different parts of Greece were also placed on alert as part of the scenario.
According to Greece’s Kathimerini newspaper, the “Alexandros” exercise tested the response speed, coordination and readiness levels of the Greek Armed Forces’ air, land and naval units. The exercise scenarios envisaged units being ready for deployment within just five minutes. The Greek Armed Forces also carried out nighttime operations to seize small islets during the exercise. Ground units in the Evros region near the Turkish border and on the islands were also placed on full alert. The aerial display during the Greek military exercise also drew attention. The stated aim of the exercise was to test the Greek Armed Forces’ ability to respond rapidly in the event of a sudden and coordinated crisis.
The exercise’s focus on small islets and rocky outcrops brought the long-running Aegean disputes between Ankara and Athens back into the spotlight.
Türkiye argues that the demilitarized status of some islands in the Eastern Aegean, as established by international treaties, is being violated. Greece rejects Türkiye’s assessment on the issue.
About two weeks before Greece’s latest exercise, a military deployment by Türkiye had also received extensive coverage in the Greek media. Türkiye had moved units belonging to the 51st Commando Brigade to the Söke district of Aydın province as part of the regular course of a planned deployment. The deployment was closely followed in Greece because Söke is located opposite the island of Samos. Greek media outlets claimed that the units constituted a commando force of around 2,000 personnel, while some reports described the development as a “Turkish wall in the Aegean.” However, Türkiye’s Defense Ministry said the transfer of the units to Söke was part of a deployment change that had been planned and approved in June.
In a related development, Angelos Syrigos, a lawmaker from Greece’s ruling New Democracy party, acknowledged that Greece had twice backed down in 2024 from seabed surveys related to a Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection project near Crete after Turkish warships arrived in the area, despite Greece not having sought permission from Türkiye. Syrigos discussed the incidents that took place in July and November 2024 during an appearance on ERT News. Regarding Greece’s response after Türkiye sent five warships to the area in July 2024 and then sent warships again in November, albeit with lower intensity, Syrigos said, “We backed down on both occasions. We did not continue the seabed surveys.”
When the host asked, “Did we back down?” Syrigos replied, “Yes,” and claimed that Athens believed at the time that the issue could be resolved through dialogue and in accordance with international law provisions concerning the laying of undersea cables. Syrigos said cable-laying activities had previously been carried out in the same broad maritime area without serious problems, leading Greece to believe that the current project could proceed in a similar manner. However, he said, the same conditions did not materialize this time.
Syrigos claimed that Türkiye would not be asked for permission for the cable work, but that a French research vessel could notify the Turkish side this time. He argued that notifying Türkiye would not amount to seeking its permission.
