Türkiye summoned the Greek military attaché and lodged a complaint with NATO after Greek fighter jets allegedly harassed Turkish fighter jets that were conducting an “important mission” for the military alliance, Türkiye’s state-run news agency reported Tuesday.
The Anadolu Agency said F-16s belonging to Greece harassed Turkish pilots flying the same model by putting Türkiye’s aircraft under a radar lock during the NATO mission over the eastern Mediterranean.
Türkiye “gave the necessary response” and forced the planes to leave the area, Anadolu said, without elaborating.
Anadolu said Türkiye’s defense ministry notified NATO officials about the alleged harassment and summoned the Greek military official in Ankara, accusing Greece of endangering a NATO mission.
There was no immediate comment from Greece.
Although both NATO members, Türkiye and Greece have decades-old disputes over an array of issues, including territorial claims in the Aegean Sea and disputes over the airspace there. The disputes have brought them to the brink of war three times in the last half-century.
Tensions flared in 2020 over exploratory drilling rights in areas of the Mediterranean Sea where Greece and Cyprus claim exclusive economic zones, leading to a naval standoff.
Türkiye has accused Greece of violating international agreements by militarizing islands in the Aegean Sea. Athens says it needs to defend the islands — many of which lie close to Türkiye’s coast — against a potential attack from Türkiye’s large fleet of military landing craft.
