Greece Launches Military Exercise in the Aegean Following Turkey’s Expected Survey

The workout was prompted by a Turkish Navtex reserving areas for surveys successful the Aegean. File photo. Credit: Hellenic Navy

Greece initiated a important subject workout successful the Aegean Sea connected Wednesday, deploying air, naval, and crushed forces arsenic a amusement of deterrence pursuing Turkey’s announcements of a imaginable survey.

The drill, which started astatine 5 a.m., includes the Delta Force, a combined portion of the Hellenic Armed Forces. It’s intended to show Greece’s readiness and resoluteness to support its nationalist sovereignty. More than 60 combatant jets and the full Hellenic Navy fleet are participating, on with peculiar forces units connected 30 islands and service formations successful the bluish Evros region.

Greece’s workout successful the Aegean is simply a effect to Turkey’s Navtex

The workout was prompted by a Turkish Navtex (a navigational telex utilized to broadcast maritime warnings) issued by Izmir station, reserving areas for the survey vas Piri Reis.

The announcement outlined a probe way stretching westbound of Lesvos, southbound of Chios, and toward the islet of Kalogeros—located betwixt Chios and Andros. Parts of the vessel’s declared way walk done Greek territorial waters and implicit Greece’s continental shelf—areas wherever Turkey lacks authorization to contented a Navtex.

While framed arsenic a technological mission, Ankara’s determination serves a broader geopolitical purpose. By asserting a relation successful cardinal Aegean waters, Turkey is signaling its refusal to judge Greece’s mentation of maritime zones.

While the survey was expected to statesman connected Monday, Greek officials noted that the vessel remained anchored successful the Izmir marina. Athens interprets this arsenic a motion of imaginable hesitation connected Ankara’s part.

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