Athens threatened to cancel the NATO exercise Steadfast Dart, which began on Monday in Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania, citing Ankara’s “demands to impose” its views on the Aegean Sea.
Türkiye insisted that no flight authorization be requested for aircraft participating in the exercise within Greece’s flight information region (FIR) and demanded that jurisdiction be granted for search and rescue operations in parts of the Aegean, particularly east of the 25th meridian.
Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias instructed the military to oppose any request that would affect Greece’s sovereign position.
The issue was taken up by NATO’s strategic command in Naples. Dendias warned that if his objections were not accepted, Greece would withdraw from the exercise, which could lead to its cancellation.
As the host country, Greece plays a key role in the exercise, which involves 10,000 personnel from nine allied countries.
According to Kathimerini, Greece raised its objections on Sunday, but on Monday morning, NATO addressed its concerns and allowed the exercise to go ahead.
Meanwhile, Türkiye sent a corvette to international waters off the coast of Crete in response to Greece’s two successive Navtex notifications regarding research vessels operating in the region.
