Adding to a rapprochement that came after at times being near a conflict, Greece and Turkey have canceled full military exercises in the Aegean Sea where there were disputes and will have small-scale training instead.
That comes as newly-reelected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan begins a third decade of rule and Greece is in limbo with a caretaker government ahead of a second round of elections on June 25.
So far, the volatile Erdogan hasn’t shown an inclination to return to his previous belligerence that included threatening to invade Greece, demanding Greek troops be taken off islands near Turkey’s coast, and warning it would be a cause for war if Greece doubled its maritime boundaries to 12 miles.
The tensions between the countries – including Turkish fighter jet violations of Greek airspace – ceased after a deadly earthquake in Turkey saw Greece offer assistance, and Turkey sent condolences to Greece after a head-on train accident killed 57 people, many of them college students.
Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News said according to Turkey’s Defense Ministry that Greece canceled the Kataigis Exercise, which it carries out between May and June every year covering the entire Aegean Sea.
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkiye-greece-cancel-scheduled-military-exercises-in-aegean-sea-183563
The Turkish Defense Ministry then canceled the Seawolf Exercise in which thousands of personnel participate, with over 200 elements including ships, submarines, and manned and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar in May said there would be a moratorium on military exercises in the Aegean Sea during the tourism period, annually done so as not to scare off foreign visitors, big revenue sources.
Read more at thenationalherald.com
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