ISTANBUL,
Turkey —
Turkey on Sunday said fellow
NATO member Greece had used a Russian-made air
defense system to harass Turkish jets on a reconnaissance mission in what it
termed a “hostile action”.
اضافة اعلان
The incident took place on August 23 when
Greece’s S-300 missile system on the island of Crete put a lock on Turkish F-16
jets flying at 10,000 feet west of Rhodes, Turkish defense ministry sources
said.
That was “incompatible with the spirit of
(NATO) alliance” and amounted to “hostile acts” under the NATO rules of
engagement, the sources added.
“Despite this hostile action, (Turkish) jets
completed their planned missions and returned to their base safely.”
Greek defense ministry sources dismissed the
allegations.
“Greece’s S-300 missile system has never put
a lock on Turkish F-16 jets”, the sources said, according to state-run Ert
television.
Turkey has in recent months complained of
what it calls provocative actions by Greece, saying such moves undermine peace
efforts.
The two uneasy NATO neighbors have
long-standing sea and air boundary disputes which lead to near-daily air force
patrols and interception missions mostly around Greek islands near Turkey’s
coastline.
Athens accuses
Ankara of overflying Greek
islands.
Turkey says Greece is stationing troops on
islands in the Aegean Sea in violation of peace treaties signed after World
Wars I and II.
Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan cut
off dialogue with Greece after charging that Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos
Mitsotakis lobbied against US arms sales to his country.
Washington has sanctioned Ankara for taking a
delivery of an advanced Russian missile defense system in 2019.
The purchase saw the US drop Turkey from the
F-35 joint strike fighter program.
But President Joe Biden’s administration has
signaled it may be willing to move past the dispute and there have been talks
about F-16 purchases.
Turkish defense ministry sources said Greece
also had purchased the Russian-made air defense system and accused Western
countries, without naming them, of pursuing two-sided policies.
Athens is also eying US weaponry to bolster
its air force amid tensions with Ankara.
In June,
Greece formalized a request for
US-made F-35 fighter jets.
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