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Thu, Feb 09 2012
Turkish jets and ships enter Greek territory
Photo: Nasa
Four Turkish fighter jets violated Greek air space on the afternoon of July 20 2010, flying over the small Aegean island of Agathonisi before Greek fighters scrambled and gave them a chase. Greek defence officials said it was the fourth such transgression by Turkish aircraft in three weeks, Greek media reported.
In a further Turkish incursion, a Turkish marine research ship ventured into Greece’s continental shelf area in the northern Aegean where Athens claims the rights for exploration and exploitation of potential mineral and fossil fuel deposits, Greek daily Kathimerni quoted the defence ministry as saying.
The manoeuvres of the Turkish vessel Cesme, in addition to the reappearance of yet another Turkish ship, the Piri Reis near Kastellorizo, is the latest episode in the ongoing bilateral territorial disputes in the Aegean.
"It is clear that the Turks are trying to maintain tension but we will not play their game because, the way we see it, it is they that will have to justify their provocative actions," Kathimerini cited a source in the defence ministry as saying. The same source said that Greece would continue to uphold its passive stance which was part of a "well-coordinated strategy".
The source said that Athens possessed "more diplomatic tools" in its arsenal should Ankara continue its provocative behaviour.
By late July 20, the Cesme was off the coast of Thrace, close to the island of Samothrace.
On June 10, Turkish jets entered Greek air space and made a sortie over a Greek frigate.
According to the report, Greek diplomats lodged a complaint on June 9 to the Turkish authorities after an incident on June 8 involving a formation of Turkish jets that flew south of the island of Chios.
Another such violation occurred in February when four F-16s and four Phantoms F-4s penetrated Greek airspace at the south-eastern island of Samos, a short distance from mainland Turkey.
In a more brazen intrusion, a Turkish naval vessel crossed into Greek territorial waters in March, headed west and sailed almost to Athens, the daily Greek Ta Nea reported.
The corvette reached Cape Sounion on the Attica peninsula and the island of Kea, just south of Athens, before heading northeast into the Aegean sea and then proceeding towards the Dardanelles.
According to Ta Nea, this is the 11th such case of violation of Turkish naval vessels since November 7 2009, and the sixth in 2010 alone.
In a further Turkish incursion, a Turkish marine research ship ventured into Greece’s continental shelf area in the northern Aegean where Athens claims the rights for exploration and exploitation of potential mineral and fossil fuel deposits, Greek daily Kathimerni quoted the defence ministry as saying.
The manoeuvres of the Turkish vessel Cesme, in addition to the reappearance of yet another Turkish ship, the Piri Reis near Kastellorizo, is the latest episode in the ongoing bilateral territorial disputes in the Aegean.
"It is clear that the Turks are trying to maintain tension but we will not play their game because, the way we see it, it is they that will have to justify their provocative actions," Kathimerini cited a source in the defence ministry as saying. The same source said that Greece would continue to uphold its passive stance which was part of a "well-coordinated strategy".
The source said that Athens possessed "more diplomatic tools" in its arsenal should Ankara continue its provocative behaviour.
By late July 20, the Cesme was off the coast of Thrace, close to the island of Samothrace.
On June 10, Turkish jets entered Greek air space and made a sortie over a Greek frigate.
According to the report, Greek diplomats lodged a complaint on June 9 to the Turkish authorities after an incident on June 8 involving a formation of Turkish jets that flew south of the island of Chios.
Another such violation occurred in February when four F-16s and four Phantoms F-4s penetrated Greek airspace at the south-eastern island of Samos, a short distance from mainland Turkey.
In a more brazen intrusion, a Turkish naval vessel crossed into Greek territorial waters in March, headed west and sailed almost to Athens, the daily Greek Ta Nea reported.
The corvette reached Cape Sounion on the Attica peninsula and the island of Kea, just south of Athens, before heading northeast into the Aegean sea and then proceeding towards the Dardanelles.
According to Ta Nea, this is the 11th such case of violation of Turkish naval vessels since November 7 2009, and the sixth in 2010 alone.
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Turkish jets violate Greek airspace once again
Turkish jets flew past a Greek naval frigate near the island of Chios.
Turkish naval corvette enters Greek waters and sails almost to Athens
The corvette reached Cape Sounion on the Attica peninsula and the island of Kea, just south of Athens, before it headed northeast into the Aegean sea
Eight Turkish planes violate Greek airspace and are chased off by Greek fighters
Four F-16s and four Phantoms F-4s penetrated Greek airspace at the island of Samos in south-eastern Greece.
Eight Turkish fighter jets venture into Greek airspace
Reportedly, the planes flew above a Greek military firing range on the island during a Greek air force exercise
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Shoe box-sized Greece's concept of its continental shelf is a joke amd a Hellenistic delusion!
The Turks shall not give in a square centimeter! What will you do?
Just two minor league countries squabbling like children.
Regardless of the issue of the continental shelf and territorial waters, even if Turkey had a legitimate claim to make, what's the purpose of sailing a frigate all the way to Athens or military overflights of islands? What sort of government thinks this promotes good neighborly relations? How can Greece take anything Turkey says seriously when their actions contradict their policies, i.e. "zero problems with neighbors"? It is quite clear that Turkey is stuck with a 19th century mentality taht territory equals power and that everybody is out to get them. Please grow up and start acting like the westernized [...]
Read the full comment democracy you claim to be Turkey.
Turkey should take its claims over parts of the Aegean continental shelf to the International Court of Justice in the Hague. Oh yes that's right, Turkey 'doesn't recognise' the ICJ - how convenient.
Greek views of Turkey border on the extreme. Is it possible some of these jets accidentally came into Greek airspace?
You hear only one sided stories from the media- Greeks also violate the Turkish airspace regularly, these are some provocations so as to enhance Greek territorial waters into Turkish mainland.. Get full information!!
This is a shameful policy that does not fit to a country that pretends to be a European one and does have aspirations to become an EU member.I hope that Turkey one day will start behaving as real european nation without such nationalistic outbursts.
Interesting. If next month the Turks sail to Greece a "humanitarian Fortilla" filled with Hamas and other Turks trying to show who's boss in the area, what will the world say? ... "Free Greece"?
Abit disgusting to trespass on someone when they are down..They have enough problems..
What do you expect from a Turk???
Gutless people...and government..
Those Turks. I wonder if Germany didn't put them up to it, to force Greece to buy more German armaments, to cause Greece to go more into Debt. Shame on the EU
There is another ship the "TSESEME" LURKING IN NORTH AEGEAN.
Epaaminondas
The "Piri Reis" is the successor boat to the Hora which started the provocative initiatives since circa 1978. as for the usual airspace viiolations are common practice since 1980 occurring each year in summer time depending on the need of "CONSOMATION LOCALE"
good practice for Greek pilots keeping them on their toes.
Yes thre defence Budget is in fact enormous apart from France (as you mention) a good part is Russian could be S-400 missiles.
On this occasion my sympathies are rather with the Greeks. They have quite enough problems at the moment, plus a defence budget that is so large that nobody has dared tell Brussels yet, but with Turkish provocation like this they will argue that this enormous defence budget (most of the equipment from France) is justified. And for once they may be right.
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