“Two Turkish fighter jets have illegally entered Greek airspace,” according to a ministerial statement.
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The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated on Friday 20 May that it had carried out a “protest move” with Turkey following “the unprecedented violation of Greek sovereignty by two Turkish fighter planes”.
By order of Minister Nikos Dendias, “the secretary general of the ministry Themistocles Demiris made a protest approach to the Turkish ambassador in Athens” after “two Turkish fighter jets illegally entered Greek airspace”according to a ministerial press release.
Turkish planes approached the port of Alexandroupolis, located near the Greek-Turkish border in northeastern Greece, “at a distance of only 2.5 nautical miles”according to this text.
The ministry qualifies this action “of a clear escalation of Turkish provocation” who “violates the fundamental rules of international law” by undermining the cohesion of NATO and constituting a clear threat to the European Union at a critical moment”.
Alexandroupolis is “a key port for the transfer of NATO forces”recalls the ministry which will inform on this incident its allies and partners, the EU, NATO and the UN.
Neighbors and allies within NATO, Athens and Ankara, however, maintain a traditionally conflictual relationship which has worsened in recent years, due to Turkish drilling attempts in the eastern Mediterranean. Athens continues to denounce its neighbor for violations of its airspace by Turkish fighter planes.