Greece intercepts 2 Turkish F-16 fighter jets foiling airspace infringement attempt

CAIRO – 22 December 2020: Greece announced intercepting two Turkish F-16 fighter jets as they attempted to enter the Greek airspace on December 21, as reported by Al Arabiyah.

Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias called upon Turkey to stop its threats of war against his country saying it must halt its provocations and illegal activities.

Dendias added that Greece seeks to inhibit establishing a Turkish military base western Libya saying that it is a priority for Greece that Libyan shores are controlled by friendly powers.

In that context, the minister accused Turkey of transporting mercenaries into Libya, and jeopardizing security and stability in the region.

Dendias expressed hope that Turkey would back off, and not fulfill the MoU signed with Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) - controlling western Libya – on cooperating in gas exploration in the Mediterranean.

In December 2019, Turkey and the GNA signed two MoUs. One is the abovementioned, and the other is on military cooperation. In light of the latter, Turkey sent thousands of mercenaries to the country, mainly from Syria, as well as Turkish military personnel to train and co-command militias protecting the GNA.