Turkey ramps up war games in Greek air space
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Turkey ramps up war games in Greek air space
Extract from an article in The Times:-
Should it come to fisticuffs, one wonders how NATO would react to both sides triggering an Article 5 call... 
The Greek military was on heightened alert today after Turkish fighter jets invaded the country’s national airspace, buzzing over a number of islands, engaging in an aerial show of strength over the Aegean Sea.
The war games increased fears of a confrontation between the two countries as relations between Ankara, Athens and other European capitals deteriorated ahead of a referendum on April 16 that could boost the powers of President Erdogan, the Turkish leader.
Officials at the Ministry of Defence in Athens said sorties of F-4 and F-16 Turkish warplanes were intercepted by Greek fighter jets after they flew into national airspace on 37 separate occasions in the past three days. At least two of the Turkish jets were armed yesterday while two others flew at low altitudes over small islets north of Agathonisi in the southeast of the Aegean Sea, alarming their 100 inhabitants.
The war games increased fears of a confrontation between the two countries as relations between Ankara, Athens and other European capitals deteriorated ahead of a referendum on April 16 that could boost the powers of President Erdogan, the Turkish leader.
Officials at the Ministry of Defence in Athens said sorties of F-4 and F-16 Turkish warplanes were intercepted by Greek fighter jets after they flew into national airspace on 37 separate occasions in the past three days. At least two of the Turkish jets were armed yesterday while two others flew at low altitudes over small islets north of Agathonisi in the southeast of the Aegean Sea, alarming their 100 inhabitants.
For all intents and purposes Turkey has left NATO. NATO countries have withdrawn all but essential personnel from the country and the US have withdrawn all dependants. All Turkish military personnel serving with NATO have been immediately arrested on their return to Turkey and those who have not returned home are seeking asylum in various NATO countries. Some of these asylum applications have already been granted.
In these testing times a war with Turkey is no longer unthinkable.
In these testing times a war with Turkey is no longer unthinkable.
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What makes this violation really special?
Such things happen between the two countries for some 3 decades already. Some planes and lives were even lost. E.g. there were 2000+ violations of Greek's airspace by Turkey in 2014 alone:
Turkish, Greek Jets Engage In Dogfight Over Mediterranean | Zero Hedge
Such things happen between the two countries for some 3 decades already. Some planes and lives were even lost. E.g. there were 2000+ violations of Greek's airspace by Turkey in 2014 alone:
Turkish, Greek Jets Engage In Dogfight Over Mediterranean | Zero Hedge
Visited Geilenkirchen many years ago to see an ex-Kipper eng on the NATO E3. Joined in the Oktoberfest in the Hangar and speaking to the various nation's aviators involved operating the aircraft, it quickly became clear the Turkey/Greece relationship was a major issue. Crew complements and rosters were being changed purely on this basis. Madness, but I guess while both countries are paying in to the Nato coffers, the top brass pretend it works just fine.
In the 80s, a Greek colleague in a NATO HQ showed me an official Greek govt English language newspaper where it stated that their N°1 enemy wasn't the Warsaw Pact but - yes, you've guessed it - Turkey.
For all intents and purposes Turkey has left NATO. NATO countries have withdrawn all but essential personnel from the country and the US have withdrawn all dependants. All Turkish military personnel serving with NATO have been immediately arrested on their return to Turkey and those who have not returned home are seeking asylum in various NATO countries. Some of these asylum applications have already been granted.
In these testing times a war with Turkey is no longer unthinkable.
In these testing times a war with Turkey is no longer unthinkable.
Remember that the coup attempt on 15/16 July was very real. Imagine, if you will, elements of the Household Cavalry running over protestors on Westminster Bridge (gulp!) and Tower bridge and tanks shelling both the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace. AAC Apaches scything through protestors on the Mall and in Whitehall with chain guns and Typhoons bombing Parliament, New Scotland Yard, Holyrood, Hereford and BT Satellite Ground Stations ...meanwhile rogue SF teams attack Gleneagles to attempt to kill the PM and to Sandringham to kill HM, lead by Commander HMNB Clyde. Other teams occupy Broadcasting House and hold guns to the heads of announcers.
Meanwhile CDS is taken hostage by his own PSO; CAS's house staff take his family hostage and AOC 22 Gp holds a gun to CAS's head at a wedding of COS Ops's daughter. Meanwhile DSF is shot at point blank range by his ADC (who is then killed by his Staff Sgt). All the sS chief are bound and flown by helicopter to RAF Coningsby and locked up in rooms in the Mess. This is what happened.
There was nothing soft and fluffy about the coup attempt and Turkey is taking a long time to recover - sacking 30% of its F-16 pilots and 44% of its General/Flag officers because of their complicity.
Yes, Erdogan is exploiting the crisis for political gain, but as the UK has seen, supporting Turkey is a better optic than tactitly hoping the coup had been sucessful.
Last edited by Whenurhappy; 31st Mar 2017 at 08:17.
No we wouldn't, I agree - but as I described it above - and you were to subsitute the names and locations - that is exactly what happened in Turkey. Previous coups have been reasonably quiet transfer of power - no street fighting etc - but loads of extrajudicial killings, executions etc..
But back to the Thread. Do not believe everything the Greeks claim - they can be as equally difficult as the Turks and the history of the Aegean leaves egg on our faces, too - such as in 1947 awarding islands that sat only a couple of hundred metres off the Turkish mainland to Greece - after they had been occupied by the Nazis. Greece also claims the FIR boundary as sovereign air space - and Turkey deliberately flies through what they believe as international airspace, to demonstrate customary usage.
Oh , pul-leeeese. Without a doubt, Erdogan isn't wasting the opportunity the coup attempt has given him, and he - at best - set the conditions for a coup, by announcing the intention, inter alia, to dismiss 1400 Colonels in the August YAS. But every time I hear false-flag, I scream conspira-loon!
Whenurhappy,
.
Those islands and islets belong to the Dodecanisus complex which was Italian soil before WWII - when Italy surrendered they were occupied by the NAZIs as you are rightly said. In other words Greece took over from Italy with Turkey having nothing to do with it.
Regarding a gap between Greece's sovereign air space and FIR boundary that's a major mistake of the Greek government - they should have brought territorial waters and air space boundaries to 12 miles a very long time ago.
What is annoying is that Greece keeps announcing those violations which are a fairly common occurrences like after work drinks on Friday nights. As a matter of fact as Whenurhappy correctly points out that those violations are parts of a custom in the area. In fact a former Minister of Foreign Affairs in Greece said once that it would be much better, in financial terms for both countries if just Turkey announced the flew in the disputed parts of the air space and Greece announced the intercept that flight.
in 1947 awarding islands that sat only a couple of hundred metres off the Turkish mainland to Greece
Those islands and islets belong to the Dodecanisus complex which was Italian soil before WWII - when Italy surrendered they were occupied by the NAZIs as you are rightly said. In other words Greece took over from Italy with Turkey having nothing to do with it.
Regarding a gap between Greece's sovereign air space and FIR boundary that's a major mistake of the Greek government - they should have brought territorial waters and air space boundaries to 12 miles a very long time ago.
What is annoying is that Greece keeps announcing those violations which are a fairly common occurrences like after work drinks on Friday nights. As a matter of fact as Whenurhappy correctly points out that those violations are parts of a custom in the area. In fact a former Minister of Foreign Affairs in Greece said once that it would be much better, in financial terms for both countries if just Turkey announced the flew in the disputed parts of the air space and Greece announced the intercept that flight.
The Dodecanese were seized by Italy in 1911 (and Libya) from the Ottomans on what was naked Empire-building. The UK could have/should have lobbied for these to have been returned to Turkey but there was concerns about the remaining Christian population there.
Originally Posted by Whenurhappy
but there was concerns about the remaining Christian population there.
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
Well, in 1974 Greek plans for Enosis in Cyprus resulted in a bloody nose for them from Turkey. Brought it on themselves.
Currently I am not sure if the Greek government will like to risk a confrontation knowing the effectiveness of their armed forces. Their performance during the last crisis back in January 1996 was dissapointing to say the least.
As for causes, it goes deeper than local / regional rivalries and a certain chap by the name of Kissinger has a lot to answer for. Yet another conflict that seems to have a connection with US foreign policy.
It is a tragedy. Cyprus is a beautiful island with some of the most hospitable folks on the planet.
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
But if the British had sent in a small force, removed Sampson and reinstated Makarious, the colonels would have had their wrists slapped, and all would have returned to the Status Quo, which was what the Tripartite Agreement was all about.
To go back to the Aegean problem. When serving with NAEW&C Force Command I spent some unpleasant hours being bounced in and out of the Greek and Turkish Milrep offices in SHAPE. As each side tried to prove that the NAEW&C Force were partial to one side or the other. All handbags at dawn.