Greek President Carolos Papoulias says Turkey has behaved "unacceptably" over this week's midair crash between Greek and Turkish fighter planes, which is feared to have cost the life of a Greek air force pilot.
By
AFP

Source:
AFP
25 May 2006 - 12:00 AM  UPDATED 22 Aug 2013 - 12:18 PM

"The tragic and politically major incident over the Aegean Sea shows clearly that Turkey must respect international law and treaties," he said at a dinner in honour of Queen Margrethe of Denmark, who is visiting Greece.

"Ankara must understand that such unacceptable behaviour, such as unidentified flights, endangers stability in a sensitive region."

Greece has alleged that the Turkish planes entered the Athens Flight
Information Region (FIR), the flight zone overseen by the Athens airport control tower, "without laying down flight plans" and "violating the rules of aerial navigation".

The Turkish military has released details of the collision, saying that the Greek F-16 had "harassed" the Turkish plane and crashed into it. The Turkish military alleged the Turkish plane was technically in Mediterranean airspace and not the Aegean as initially reported.

The Turkish Air Force said in a statement two Turkish F-16s and an F-4 "on a routine training flight" were confronted by two Greek F-16s in an interception attempt before Wednesday's crash.

The Turkish pilot was picked up by a Panamanian-registered vessel but the Greek pilot has not been found.

"The Greek F-16 planes approached and harassed our planes, breaching the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the rules of engagement," the statement, carried by Anatolia news agency, said.

Turkey has denied that the planes were engaged in a mock dogfight, which is a frequent occurrence between air patrols of the two regional rivals.

At the core of the dispute lies Greece's claim of an airspace extending to 16 kilometres around its coastline. Turkey recognises only 10 kilometres, arguing that under international rules Greece's airspace cannot go beyond the extent of its territorial waters.