Turkish jets committed 44 violations over Greek airspace on Friday according to Greek military command.
Four pairs of Turkish F-16s, one Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and two Turkish navy transport aircraft CN-235 entered Athens FIR on Friday without having submitted a flight plan, the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (HNDG) reported.
A total of 9 infringements of the Athens Flight Information Region developed into 44 violations of national airspace: 29 by the CN-235s, 3 by the fighter jets and 12 by the UAV, across the entire Greek archipelago, while 2 Turkish aircraft were carrying weapons.
All Turkish aircraft were intercepted by Greek fighter jets, per international protocols, except for one case in which the interception turned into a dogfight, noted HNDG.
Last week alone, Turkey committed 74 violations of Greece’s national airspace and 12 violations of the air traffic rules in the Athens Flight Information Region.
Of the 74 violations, 29 were committed by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), 30 by ATR-72 naval cooperation aircraft and 15 by F-16 fighter jets. A total of 18 Turkish F-16 fighters flew over islets, two of which were armed.
The Turkish aircraft flew to the Northeast, Central and Southeast Aegean and, according to Greek military authorities, were identified and intercepted in accordance with international rules and established practice.
Meanwhile, critics blame surging prices on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s economic policies, which have seen interest rates lowered to boost growth and exports.
In contrast to most economists, the Turkish leader has opposed higher borrowing costs because he says they cause inflation.
In countries like the UK and US, leaders have used increased interest rates to combat inflation.
The UK’s inflation rate was 7% in the year to March, while the Bank of England raised its base rate to 1% last week, Sky News reported.
