Turkish F-16 fighter jets recorded on Wednesday a record of 126 violations of Greek air space and 30 overflights of Greek islands some of them inhabited.
Despite a demarche from Athens to Ankara earlier on Wednesday, the neighbors on the other side of the Aegean Sea ignored Greece’s diplomatic protest sent again a pair of F-16 to violate Greek airspace.
A few minutes before 20:00 on Wednesday evening, a pair of Turkish F-16 fighter jets, the fourth during the day, conducted three new overflights over Greek islands. They flew over Ro at 19:37 and over Megisti at 19:38 at 25,000 feet (about 8,500 kilometers) and finally over Ro again at 19:40 at 24,000 feet.
According to information from the General Staff of National Defense, a total of 16 Turkish F-16s flew over the Aegean on April 27, 2022, while a total of 126 (!) violations of Greece’s national airspace took place.
Of these, 85 were made by F-16s, while the rest were made by Turkish UAVs and electronic warfare aircraft.
During the interception of Turkish fighter jets, there were two “dog fights” with Greek fighters.
The Turkish aircraft were identified and intercepted by the Greek Air Force, in accordance with international rules and the established practice.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Greek Foreign Ministry filed a protest note, a demarche, to the Turkish ambassador in Athens. The Turkish F-16s flew in pairs at least four times, from 10:18 am to 12:24, over East Aegean islands.
The strong demarche was over the repeated violations of Greek airspace by Turkish fighter jets, which also flew over residential areas.
The demarche was presented to the ambassador by Foreign Affairs Secretary General Themistoklis Demiris, following the directions of FM Nikos Dendias, the ministry said in a statement.
Demiris said “these actions are a violation of Greek sovereignty and an unacceptable provocation, and contravene fundamental principles of international law.
“Besides being illegal and provocative, they endanger international air traffic, entirely contravene the principles of good neighborly relations between Greece and Turkey, and undermine efforts to establish a climate of trust.”
In their attempts to pirate, the autocratic nation is pushing its boundaries.
These uneducated nationalists giving the sign of the Grey Wolf will not sanction Russia. Yet, they play both sides here too by supplying drones to Ukraine while attempting to grandstand hosting peace negotiations.
They are sly and opportunistic barbarians. These pirates who disrespect international law should not enjoy the liberty of being protected by NATO when playing Russia against the US. Nor should the US act like a spurned lover hoping to put this anti-west autocrat and so called NATO partner back into the western fold. Erdogan poisoning the well with the state sponsored media over the last decade after jailing journalists and judges.
This member should not remotely seek EU membership and Europe best brace for armed conflict with this dangerous rogue NATO member at some point.