Defense officials examine change in Turkish stance

Greek defense authorities are examining an apparent shift in stance by their Turkish counterparts last week, which saw a significant uptick in violations of Greek air space by Turkish jets despite the fact that a Greek military drill was under way.

Greek defense officials recorded nearly 250 Turkish violations of national air space from Monday through Thursday. The level of violations by Turkey was so high on Tuesday and Wednesday that Greek F-16s were in the air almost throughout the course of the day.

Turkey’s increased presence was not restricted to the air either. The bulk of its navy fleet was deployed in the Black Sea and eastern Aegean, while some ships even ventured into the Aegean where Greek vessels were taking part in the annual military and civil protection exercise Parmenion.

Athens and Ankara have an agreement to forgo military activity when either is conducting an armed forces exercise.