Greece to issue demarche for every Turkish flight over airspace

Greece will issue a demarche to Turkey every time Turkish jets violate the country’s airspace, according to an order by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, columnist Vassilis Nedos wrote in an article for Greek daily Kathimerini on Saturday.

The Greek Embassy in Ankara and the Defence Ministry have intensified contacts to provide rapid solutions.

As part of the strategy, Dendias has been presenting maps depicting areas Turkey has laid claim to over the last 50 years, as have other Greek delegations to governments and public and private bodies around the world.

Athens remains determined not to get dragged into a pointless rhetorical confrontation, Nedos said citing sources. Instead, it will keep a record and inform its allies of Ankara’s stance.

Greece’s importance for the European Union is increasing, especially regarding Alexandroupoli, as the bloc works to diversify its energy sources.

Hungary intends to join Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and later Ukraine in seeking natural gas which will be stored in facilities in Alexandroupoli, Nedos said citing “well-informed sources”.

Tensions between Turkey and Greece have run high over Turkey’s natural gas exploration in the east Mediterranean and objection to Greece’s maritime territorial rights around Aegean islands.

While objecting to Sweden and Finland’s bids to join NATO over the Ukraine crisis, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Turkey would “not be stung again” as it was when it did not veto Greece’s re-entry into NATO in 1980.

In early June, Erdoğan repeated a call for Greece to “demilitarise” Aegean islands.