A pair of Turkish fighter jets fly dangerously close to a Grecian military helicopter carrying high-ranking officials; Reports of Turkish jets daily violating Grecian airspace; Greece believes Turkey is seeking to provoke a confrontation.
Shortly after a Grecian military helicopter carrying high-level military personnel entered the air after visiting military outposts on Sunday, it was met by a pair of Turkish F-16 fighter jets as it made its way home. The jets are reported to have harassed the helicopter in several ways, including flying dangerously close to it.
Inside the helicopter was Minister of National Defense Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos & Chief of General Staff General Konstantinos Floros. They were visiting military outposts located in the eastern Aegean, which is located close to the Turkish mainland. It was after they left Oinousses that they were confronted by the jets.
According to one source, it’s a reoccurring theme for Turkish fighter jets to violate Grecian airspace. Actions like this have led Greece to believe that Turkey is seeking a confrontation. And like a good portion of the world believes, Greece understands this event to be a fruit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s desire for a new Ottoman Empire.
The tension between the two nations has been present for some time. This tension increased even more several months ago when Israel, Greece, and Cyprus signed a unilateral agreement for an underwater pipeline, sending natural gas straight from Israel to southern Europe. This agreement increased Turkey’s economic desperation.
Turkey is also on a destructive economic path at this time, as the lira fell to record lows at the end of the week.
