German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has criticised Turkey’s intrusion of Greek airspace, calling for the countries to work together as NATO allies.
A German government spokesperson claimed that Chancellor Sholz “is of the opinion that, given the current situation, it is necessary for all NATO allies to stand together and refrain from provocations between themselves.”
“Invading Greek airspace and flying over Greek islands is not ok, it seems counterproductive and against the spirit of the alliance,” the spokesperson said, Greek newspaper Ekathimerini reports.
According to the newspaper, the statement is a shift in Germany’s stance on the issue and comes after Chancellor Scholz met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis earlier this week.
Turkish fighter jet intrusions into Greek airspace have been taking place for years as tensions between the two countries have spiked in recent years, such as in August of 2020 when Greece accused Turkey of repeatedly using spy planes to violate Greek airspace.
Greece claimed that Turkey had violated Greek airspace a total of 45 times in a single day using C-235 spy planes in and around the islands in the Aegean Sea.
The Aegean islands have again become a source of tensions between the two countries in recent weeks after Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis met with U.S. President Joe Biden last month after which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the Greek leader of trying to block the sale of American fighter jets to Turkey.
President Erdogan was so angered that he stated he would refuse to meet with the Greek PM and declared that he did not recognize him.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mehmet Cavusoglu has also stated that the sovereignty of the Aegean islands was in question stating, “Greece has violated status of the eastern Aegean islands, so Greece must disarm these islands. Otherwise, the sovereignty debate will begin.”
In the background of tensions, Greece has claimed that there has been a surge of migrants attempting to enter Greece from Turkey illegally, prompting some to question if Turkey may be influencing the trend.