Erdogan warns Greece over airspace violations
Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Greece that it would pay a “heavy price” if it continues to harass Turkish fighter jets over the Aegean and hinted at military action.
“Hey Greece, take a look at history. If you go further, you will pay a heavy price,” Erdogan told a packed rally in the Black Sea city of Samsun.
Erdogan warns Greece over airspace violations
Turkey has in recent months complained of what it calls provocative actions by Athens, saying such moves undermine peace efforts.
Historic rivals Turkey and Greece have been at odds over issues ranging from overflights and the status of Aegean islands to maritime boundaries and hydrocarbon resources in the Mediterranean, as well as the 1974 division of Cyprus.
In one such incident, Ankara said last weekend Greece had used a Russian-made air defence system to harass Turkish jets on a reconnaissance mission in what it termed a “hostile action”.
The two uneasy NATO neighbours have longstanding sea and air boundary disputes which lead to near-daily air force patrols and interception missions mostly around Greek islands near Turkey’s coastline.
“We have only one word to tell Greece: do not forget Izmir [Smyrna in Greek]”, Recep Erdogan warned Greece, referring to the end of the Greek occupation after Turkish forces entered the city on the Aegean coast in 1922 defeating Greek Forces during Turkish War of Independence.
