ATHENS (Greek City Times) — On one of Greece’s most important religious holidays, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, on August 16, Turkey carried out 39 airspace violations over the Aegean Sea, rescinding an agreement between the two nations to avoid provocations on religious celebrations.
Turkish aircraft carried provocative overflights over Greek islands, particularly in the northeastern, central, and southern Aegean regions.
More specifically, there were 39 violations and 11 infringements of Greek airspace by 18 Turkish F-16s, which flew in nine formations. Of the 18, ten were armed, while three engaged in dog fights with Greek fighters. It should be noted that out of the 39 violations, three were overflights.
In particular, a pair of Turkish F-16 aircraft performed an overflight at 11:05 over Kinar and at 11:08 over Mavra Lerou, at 27,000 feet. At 11:09, a second pair of Turkish F-16s made another overflight over Kandeliosa at 23,000 feet.
According to the Hellenic National Defense General Staff sources, the Turkish aircraft were identified and intercepted following international rules according to standard practice.
Based on the Memorandum signed between Greece and Turkey, the two countries had agreed to refrain from provocations during national and religious holidays.
