Greek fighter jets tried to intercept NATO's tactical-level exercise Nexus Ace in the Aegean Sea but Turkish Air Forces responded and ensured the completion of the exercise, the Defense Ministry said Saturday.
In a statement, the ministry said Turkish fighter jets and NATO's AWACS jets were carrying out the Nexus Ace exercise in the international airspace around the Aegean Sea, but Greek fighter jets attempted to intercept the exercise.
However, Turkish jets did not let the interception attempt interrupt the NATO exercise and successfully completed the mission, the ministry said.
Türkiye and Greece have long-standing sea and air boundary disputes that intensified with moves to explore potential undersea natural gas reserves.
Türkiye and Greece are at odds over a number of issues, including competing claims over jurisdiction in the Eastern Mediterranean, overlapping claims over their continental shelves, maritime boundaries, airspace, energy, the ethnically split island of Cyprus, the status of the islands in the Aegean Sea and migrants.
Relations deteriorated after Erdoğan said Mitsotakis "no longer exists" for him, when the Greek premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis lobbied to block sales of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye during a visit to the United States, despite previously agreeing with Erdoğan "to not include third countries in our dispute." In May, Erdoğan cut ties with Mitsotakis and declared all other channels of communication between the countries closed.
The most recent incidents to have spurred tensions include two Greek coast guard boats opening fire on a cargo ship in international waters, continued pushbacks by Greek elements recorded by Turkish UAVs and a previous harassment of Turkish fighter jets on a NATO mission by Greece’s Russian-made S-300s.
Ankara accuses Athens of illegally militarizing Greek islands in the Eastern Aegean and questions Greece’s sovereignty over them. There is also a dispute over the exploitation of mineral resources in the Aegean.
Türkiye, which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has rejected the maritime boundary claims of Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, stressing that these excessive claims violate the sovereign rights of both Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriots.
Turkish leaders have repeatedly stressed that Ankara is in favor of resolving all outstanding problems in the region through international law, good neighborly relations, dialogue and negotiation. Türkiye has also criticized the European Union’s stance on the Eastern Mediterranean conflict, calling on the bloc to adopt a fair attitude regarding the dispute and abandon its preferential treatment of Greece under the pretext of EU solidarity.
On the other side, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus harshly criticized a recent EU statement reiterating support for Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration.
The Council of the European Union said last week that "the recognition of all Member States is essential," referring to the Greek Cypriot administration, which is not recognized by Türkiye which also advocates for the recognition of the Turkish Cypriots.
"Türkiye must stop all threats and actions that damage good neighborly relations, normalize its relations with the Republic of Cyprus and respect the sovereignty of all EU Member States over their territorial sea and airspace as well as all their sovereign rights, including inter alia the right to explore and exploit natural resources," the council said.
The foreign ministry of the TRNC said that it "completely" rejects this statement.
"It should be reminded that the EU and especially the foreign ministry of the Greek Cypriot Administration are the main chiefs of the continuation of the status quo on the island," the TRNC said.
"It is clear that the Greek Cypriot side and its supporters are far from accurately analyzing the developments in our island and region," it added.