Incident in the Aegean Sea: Greek Air Force intercepts Turkish warplanes

Turkish F-16 fighter jets flew over three inhabited Greek islands in the eastern Aegean on Wednesday.

According to the Greek general staff, the planes flew over the islands of Inousses, Arki and Lipsi at an altitude of around 6,000 meters.

According to a report by state broadcaster ERT, Greek fighter planes intercepted them.

The overflights took place despite efforts to ease the tension between the two NATO countries.

At a meeting in Istanbul just ten days ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis agreed to improve their strained relations in view of the Ukraine war.

As countries on NATO's south-eastern flank, they said they have a special responsibility for the stability of the European security architecture, which has changed with the Russian attack.

According to the Greek General Staff, Turkish warplanes flew over Greek territory a total of 30 times in January and February.

Such overflights are considered a serious violation of a country's sovereignty.

The EU has repeatedly condemned these actions by Turkey.