Sounds like the curtain is coming up on the next round of the Lausanne follies.
'Turkey said on Tuesday that four Greek jets harassed a Turkish research vessel in the Aegean Sea but Athens denied the accusation, which comes as the two NATO members seek to resume talks over maritime disputes.
'The Cesme research vessel started survey work last week in international waters between the two countries, prompting Greece to protest. The Turkish defence ministry said the four Greek F-16s approached the Cesme on Monday and one dropped a chaff flare two nautical miles from the vessel.
'Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkey responded with the “necessary retaliation... in line with the rules. While we are carrying out scientific work, harassment is not appropriate, it is not befitting of good neighbourly ties,” he told reporters in parliament. A Greek defence ministry official denied the accusations, saying “Greek jets never harassed the Turkish vessel.”
'After a five-year hiatus, Turkish and Greek officials met on Jan. 25 to discuss a decades-old dispute over the delimitation of maritime zones and rights to energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean. The allies have agreed to meet again in Athens. Athens said it has sent an invitation to Ankara suggesting the talks resume in early March, ahead of an EU summit. Ankara has said it wants to continue talks and improve ties with the EU, which backs Greece in the dispute.'
Turkey says Greek jets harass research vessel over Aegean Sea
'Turkish naval forces will conduct large-scale naval exercises in the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea between Feb. 25 and March 7, the Defence Ministry said on Feb. 22.
'The exercises dubbed “Blue Homeland 2021” will involve a wide array of Turkish military assets, including 87 warships, 27 aircraft, 20 helicopters and drones. Units from the Turkish Air Force, the Coast Guard Command, and the Gendarmerie General Command will also take part in these drills. The purpose of this military exercise is to evaluate the preparedness of the headquarters, units and ships affiliated with the Naval Forces Command, it said in the statement.
'The drills will also involve training in live-fire scenarios and actively make sure of unmanned vehicles to “create real-life operational conditions,” according to the statement. Surface and air defense shots, in which high-speed unmanned aerial vehicles will be used as targets, will also be performed during the exercise, it added.'
Turkish navy to conduct massive military drills in Aegean Sea - Turkey News
From the second link . . .
Meanwhile, at least 20,000 U.S. troops, 145 helicopters and more than 1,800 armored vehicles will arrive in Alexandroupolis (Dedeağaç), a Greek port city in western Thrace, for the
“Defender Europe 21” military exercise in Central and Eastern Europe within the framework of
NATO, daily Hürriyet reported on Feb. 23.
The first part of the U.S. forces that will take part in the exercise will arrive tomorrow in Alexan-droupolis port on the cargo ship “Endurance.” The giant troop dispatch will be completed in seven separate campaigns by May.
Based on the
“Russian threat in Central and Eastern Europe” scenarios, the exercise in which western NATO states will also participate will start in spring and will be over by mid-summer.
It will be held in Greece, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania and Slovenia.
Greece was included in the “Defender Europe” plans for the first time this year.
www.dailysabah.com
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