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Greece: Turkish fighter jets invade Greek airspace, again

March 27, 2020
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Groups of Turkish fighter planes repeatedly crossed into Greek airspace on Monday in a direct violation of Greece’s sovereignty. 

The Hellenic National Defense General Staff (GEETHA) said that two pairs of Turkish F-16s flew over the islets of Anthropofagi and Makronisi in the Aegean, according to a report by Ekathimerini. The first pair ended up crossing over Oinousses before being intercepted.

Less than two hours later, another pair of fighters flew over the island of Chios. None of the invading jets contacted the Greek authorities or had filed a flight plan. All of them were intercepted by Greek fighter aircraft and escorted out of Greek airspace.

Such violations by Turkish planes have become a common occurrence, and NATO has said that it will not intervene despite the fact that both countries are member states. Sometimes these encounters lead to mock dogfights, as reported by The National Herald.

The intrusions are occurring as tensions between Greece and Turkey are high, given that tens of thousands of migrants have been trying to enter Greece — and hence the European Union — by force since Turkish President Recep Erdoğan declared that his country would no longer stop migrants from illegally crossing the border. This has led to daily clashes between the migrants and Greek security forces, with the migrants sometimes being aided by the Turkish police, as previously reported by Voice of Europe.
Some believe that Turkey is testing the Greek government’s resolve given that it has been eyeing the Aegean for possible oil and natural gas drilling, and the Greek island of Kastellorizo has been seen as a potential target for takeover by the Turks. Turkish naval vessels have also been challenging Greece’s sovereignty recently. Parts of the Aegean are contested between the two nations.
Source:
Voice Of Europe
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