Turkey accuses Greece of 'hostile action' against jets

Turkey on Sunday alleged fellow NATO member Greece has used a Russian-made air defence system to harass Turkish jets on a reconnaissance mission, calling it a "hostile action".

The incident took place on 23 August when Greece's S-300 missile system deployed on the island of Crete put a lock on Turkish F-16 jets flying at 10,000 feet west of Rhodes, Turkish defence ministry sources said.

🔴#BREAKING
GREECE IS ACCUSED BY TURKEY OF LOCKING RADAR ON TURKISH F-16 JETS

— ibrahim Haskoloğlu (@haskologlu) August 23, 2022

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."

Turkey has in recent months complained of what it calls provocative actions by Greece, saying such moves undermine peace efforts.

The two uneasy NATO neighbours 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's state-run news agency said Ankara's defence ministry notified NATO officials about the alleged harassment and summoned the Greek military official in Ankara, accusing Athens of endangering a @NATO mission 👇https://t.co/5mVgHaSqGY

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) August 24, 2022

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 delivery of an advanced Russian missile defence system in 2019.

The purchase saw the United States drop Turkey from the F-35 joint strike fighter programme.

But Joe Biden's administration has signalled it may be willing to move past the dispute and there have been talks about F-16 purchases.

Turkish defence ministry sources said Greece also had purchased the Russian-made air defence system and accused Western countries, without naming them, of pursuing two-sided policies.

Athens is also eying US weaponry in an attempt to bolster its airforce amid tensions with Ankara.

In June, Greece formalised a request for US-made F-35 fighter jets.