Turkish and Greek military planes collide
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Originally Posted by Best foot forward
Does this mean the cost of Ouzo will hit the roof.
Last edited by Confucius; 25th May 2006 at 21:32.
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Greece blames Turkey for crash
Athens - A Greek inquiry into a mid-air collision between Greek and Turkish fighter planes this week blamed Turkish pilot error, said a Greek official on Friday.
The country also confirmed the death of its pilot.
The Turkish plane "rammed into the Greek aircraft overhead following a wrong manoeuvre by the Turkish pilot", said a top Greek defence ministry official.
The Greek pilot "was killed on the spot".
The Greek army announced the Greek pilot was missing on Tuesday, and said searches would continue around the island of Carpathos, in the southeast Aegean Sea, where the incident took place, until "at least" Friday.
The Turkish pilot managed to eject from the plane and was uninjured.
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis told the country's parliament on Friday that Greece had rapidly defused "a dangerous situation" and expressed his sadness at the loss of the Greek pilot's life.
Fighting over air space
According to Athens, the Greek F-16 was on a reconnaissance mission after the Turkish planes - two F-16s and one F-4 - had penetrated the Athens flight information region, the flight zone overseen by the Athens airport control tower.
On Wednesday, Turkey's military said the Greek fighter jet had "harassed" the Turkish plane and crashed into it.
The military said the Turkish plane was in international Mediterranean airspace and not the Aegean.
At the core of the dispute lies Greece's claim of an airspace extending 16km around its coastline. Turkey recognises only six miles, arguing that under international rules Greece's airspace cannot go beyond the extent of its territorial waters.
In his address to parliament, Karamanlis said the process of Turkey joining the European Union called for "normalising Greek-Turkish relations" and respect for European and international law.
News24/AFP
The country also confirmed the death of its pilot.
The Turkish plane "rammed into the Greek aircraft overhead following a wrong manoeuvre by the Turkish pilot", said a top Greek defence ministry official.
The Greek pilot "was killed on the spot".
The Greek army announced the Greek pilot was missing on Tuesday, and said searches would continue around the island of Carpathos, in the southeast Aegean Sea, where the incident took place, until "at least" Friday.
The Turkish pilot managed to eject from the plane and was uninjured.
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis told the country's parliament on Friday that Greece had rapidly defused "a dangerous situation" and expressed his sadness at the loss of the Greek pilot's life.
Fighting over air space
According to Athens, the Greek F-16 was on a reconnaissance mission after the Turkish planes - two F-16s and one F-4 - had penetrated the Athens flight information region, the flight zone overseen by the Athens airport control tower.
On Wednesday, Turkey's military said the Greek fighter jet had "harassed" the Turkish plane and crashed into it.
The military said the Turkish plane was in international Mediterranean airspace and not the Aegean.
At the core of the dispute lies Greece's claim of an airspace extending 16km around its coastline. Turkey recognises only six miles, arguing that under international rules Greece's airspace cannot go beyond the extent of its territorial waters.
In his address to parliament, Karamanlis said the process of Turkey joining the European Union called for "normalising Greek-Turkish relations" and respect for European and international law.
News24/AFP
