The Greek Foreign Ministry on Saturday denied Turkey's claims that Greek fighter aircraft had violated Ankara's airspace
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st May, 2022) The Greek Foreign Ministry on Saturday denied Turkey's claims that Greek fighter aircraft had violated Ankara's airspace.
On Friday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry accused Athens of violating its airspace in the vicinity of the Gokceada island on May 16 and near the Enez district on May 17.
"We reject the unfounded and false claims of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs alleging violation of Turkish airspace by Greek fighter aircraft a few days ago. These accusations constitute yet another attempt from the part of Turkey to misinform and deny responsibility for its illegal and provocative actions," the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry added that Ankara's allegations are "an oxymoron for a country which recently carried out 42 overflights of Greek territory within one day" and threatened Athens.
The ministry further said that Ankara "once again undermines regional security and stability, as well as the cohesion of NATO at a critical juncture."
On Friday, the ministry condemned "in the strongest terms" Turkish fighter jet's violation of Greece's airspace in the vicinity of the city of Alexandroupolis within a distance of 2.5 nautical miles. The Turkish Foreign Ministry rejected these allegations as "baseless" and added that Greece "is once again attempting to create a misperception against Turkey in international public by resorting to tension that it started with its own provocative actions."
Athens and Ankara have been trying to improve their complicated relations for years. The countries were on the brink of an armed conflict three times in the summer of 2020, resulting in the mobilization of the Greek military. The reason for such an escalation in tensions was that Turkey had begun seismic exploring in the Eastern Mediterranean, the area that Athens considers its exclusive economic zone.
