Turkish PM Blames Greece for Tension Over Aegean Air Tension 

Arab News, Agence France Presse

ATHENS, 18 April 2005 —

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has blamed Greece for the routine tense encounters between Turkish and Greek fighter aircraft over the Aegean Sea, in an interview published yesterday.

In the interview with Greek daily Kathimerini, Erdogan argued that the trouble stems from a Greek insistence on claiming airspace and territorial waters’ boundaries which Turkey disputes.

“The basis of (our) disagreement over the Aegean Sea airspace is (Greece’s) systematic abuse of its Flight Information Region (FIR) responsibilities, and Greece’s claim for a national airspace of 10 nautical miles when its waters extend to six nautical miles,” Erdogan told the paper. “Both (acts) are against international law,” he said.

The Greek Foreign Ministry yesterday said that Erdogan’s statements bring nothing new to the debate on Greek-Turkish relations. “The Turkish prime minister’s statements, as attributed in today’s press report, are a repeat of known Turkish views,” said Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos. The spokesman stressed that Greece’s position was “based on international law and treaties.”

Kathimerini said Erdogan’s interview was given before a renewed flare-up of tension on Tuesday, when Greece accused Turkey of repeatedly violating its airspace during an official visit by Greek Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis to Ankara.

In the interview, Erdogan argued that it is Turkey’s aircraft that are being “harassed” by Greek jets whilst flying in airspace which his country considers international. He also claimed that Turkey is demonstrating “the maximum restraint possible” regarding its military activities in the Aegean, which are on a ratio of 1 to 10 compared to Greece’s own activities in the region.