Greek–Turkish relations

The Greek military on Tuesday reported that two Turkish F-16 warplanes recorded an illegal flyover of the small Greek isle of Farmakonissi the same day.

The Dodecanese isle has been at the center of attention over the past 48 hours as a wooden vessel carrying third country nationals from the Turkish coast aiming to land on the island sunk, drowning 34 people, including 15 children.

Greece has received a request from the United States to deny Russia the use of Greek airspace for aid flights to Syria.

Reuters reported that the the Greek Foreign Ministry on Monday confirmed this.

Turkish security forces have detained 435 migrants and Syrian refugees along with three suspected people smugglers, before they embarked on an attempt to cross the Aegean Sea to Greece, reports said Aug. 22.

The suggestion by Peoples? Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Ertu?rul Kürkçü that Turkey should underwrite 1.6 billion euros of Greece?s debt in order to prevent it from defaulting to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), was not the flight of fancy that some may think. 

The number of irregular migrants that landed on Greek territories in the northern half of the Aegean Sea increased by …550 percent in the March-April 2015 period from the corresponding period last year.

Greek authorities say the coast guard has picked up 216 people in the Aegean Sea who entered the country illegally by sailing from the Turkish coast to nearby islands overnight, raising the total this week to more than 1,500.

First of May,
a day of flowers and struggles, smells and hopes,
of dance and song in the demonstration,
of raised fists and discreet glances of love,
a beautiful day made of battles and love affairs.

This was written by new Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, in an SMS message to his friends on the first day of this month. 

Ankara appears to be intent on creating a new firing range beneath Aegean air space, according to diplomatic sources who have expressed growing concern about a shift in Turkey?s stance even as bilateral talks on confidence-building measures draw near.

Three formations of Turkish fighter jets, each comprising two F-16s, violated Greek air space in the northeastern and southeastern Aegean on Wednesday, Greek defense officials said.

All the fighter jets were chased off by Greek aircraft in accordance with international regulations, the officials said.

By Stathis Kousounis

Greek tourism finds itself in a difficult period due to the country?s economic instability, the immigration issue, the resumption of street riots in Athens, and the turbulence in Greek-US relations due to a new Greek bill that would pave the way for the release of a convicted terrorist.