Constantinople, Manolis Kostidis

Ankara sent a warning to Athens for the Aegean and the Mediterranean in the shadow of its withdrawal from the major NATO exercise Ramstein Flag-2024 which takes place in Greece.

In the National Security Council of Turkey, it was noted that “Turkey will not allow its sincere approach and efforts to cultivate the ground of cooperation through the establishment of permanent stability and peace in the Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea to be misused.” It was emphasized that “the best option is common sense action.”

In Turkey it was recorded that the Minister of Defense Nikos Dendias he talked about extending the territorial waters to 12 miles as well as the continental shelf on the islands, with Turkey considering the 12 miles as a “cause of war” (casus belli).

At the same time, the map published in a Greek newspaper, three days after the Mitsotakis-Erdogan meeting, also refers to Turkey. It is believed to have been given by Greek officials, who told the newspaper that the marine parks would continue, and named specific rocky islets.

It should be noted that the National Security Council is the most official Turkish body, where ministers such as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Interior and senior officers of the armed forces participate.

In the reasons that Ankara was led to the decision to retire from the NATO exercise Ramstein Flag-2024, Turkish Defense Ministry sources said on Thursday, indirectly acknowledging that their complaints were not accepted within the alliance.

Sixty fighter jets of NATO’s leading forces landed at the 117th Fighter Wing in Andravida, in order to participate in the top air exercise of the North Atlantic alliance Ramstein Flag-2024. This is the exercise that is being held outside Germany for the first time

“Between September 30 and October 11, 2024, Exercise Ramstein Flag-2024 will take place in Greece with the participation of 13 NATO member countries. After Greece indicated the FIR (Flight Information Area) line as its area of ​​jurisdiction in the exercise planning document it produced and requested a flight plan, then the necessary actions were taken. Although a positive approach was shown by the NATO authorities, due to the stubborn attitude of Greece, our country did not participate in this exercise” the Turkish sources noted