ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey has summoned the Greek military attache and filed a complaint with NATO after Greek fighter jets allegedly harassed Turkish fighter jets carrying out an “important mission” for the military alliance, Turkey’s official news agency reported on Tuesday.
Anadolu Agency said Greek-owned F-16s harassed Turkish pilots flying the same model by putting the Turkish plane on radar lock during the NATO mission over the eastern Mediterranean.
Turkey “gave the necessary response” and forced the planes out of the area, Anadolu said, without giving further details.
Anadolu said the Turkish Defense Ministry informed NATO officials of the alleged harassment and summoned the Greek military official to Ankara, accusing Greece of endangering a NATO mission.
There was no immediate comment from Greece.
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Although the two NATO members Turkey and Greece have decades-old disputes over a range of issues, including territorial claims in the Aegean Sea and disputes over airspace there. Disputes have brought them to the brink of war three times in the past half-century.
Tensions erupted in 2020 over exploratory drilling rights in areas of the Mediterranean Sea where Greece and Cyprus claim exclusive economic zones, leading to a naval standoff.
Turkey has accused Greece of violating international agreements by militarizing the Aegean islands. Athens says it must defend the islands – many of which lie close to the Turkish coast – against a potential attack by Turkey’s large fleet of military landing craft.
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