Posted on 05/23/2006 11:57:14 AM PDT by nuconvert
Greek, Turkish Jets Collide Over Aegean
By DEREK GATOPOULOS,
Associated Press Writer
Warplanes from Greece and Turkey collided over the Aegean Sea as they shadowed each other Tuesday in disputed airspace, and officials said the Turkish pilot was rescued unhurt.
There were conflicting reports on the fate of the Greek pilot. A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said the Greek pilot had died, but officials in Athens said a rescue operation was still under way.
The two F-16 fighter jets collided over international waters near the island of Karpathos after two Greek jets intercepted two Turkish warplanes, military officials from both countries said.
Greek officials claimed the Turkish planes were acting as escorts to an R-F4 photo-reconnaissance plane.
Fighter planes from the two NATO members frequently intercept each other over the Aegean, mostly in areas of disputed airspace. Long-standing disputes over airspace and territorial rights in the Aegean have nearly led to three wars between them since 1974.
The Greek and Turkish military chiefs as well as both nations foreign ministers spoke shortly after the crash and said it would not escalate tensions.
Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and her Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gull "expressed their regret for today's incident and agreed that this incident must not affect the two countries' goal of improving their relations," the Greek Foreign Ministry said.
Aerial intercepts were especially common during the 1980s and 1990s, fueling fears they could trigger hostilities between the two countries, because the fighter jets were often armed.
Greece says its national airspace extends to 10 miles, but Turkey recognizes only six miles — the same distance as territorial waters.
The Turkish military said its pilot, 1st Lt. Halil Ibrahim Ozdemir, was rescued unhurt by a merchant ship and put on a Turkish military helicopter.
The Greek statement said the planes collided at 27,000 feet after the Turkish jets "violated air traffic rules."
Greek military officials said the Turkish plane caused the collision by a "sudden maneuver." Evangelos Antonaros, a Greek government spokesman, described the crash as "a particularly unfortunate incident."
Relations between Greece and Turkey have been steadily deteriorating in recent months, despite Athens' promotion of Turkey's candidacy to join the European Union and Premier Costas Caramanalis' personal friendship with Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Observers said neither country would want tensions to mount given that the lucrative tourism season is about to begin.
"Tension would be catastrophic for both countries' tourism industries," said Theodore Couloumbis, director of the Greek think tank ELIAMEP. "I don't think this incident will lead to an escalation."
The Greek jet was based at Souda Air Force base on the island of Crete. Karpathos, in the southeast Aegean, is about 270 miles from Athens.
___
Associated Press Writer Benjamin Harvey in Turkey and Nicholas Paphitis in Athens contributed to this report.
Okie dokie...I won't call them Muslim Turks...from now on I will call them by a more deserving epithet---filthy lying brutish Mohameddan Turks.
Jeez, even their planes hate each other...
Sheesh! It was a Trojan War joke.
What's that got to do with anything?
Everything.
stick to the darwinoid postings...you do slightly better there.
They really hate each other.
Wouldn't take to much for them to be a war with each other.
Well you may say Daily event. As greeks would believe their own goverments that turkish jets incursions of the greek airspace , turks tend to believe the turkish goverment. Whatever the truth is , because i neither trust turkish nor greek goverments. In each different case one of the goverment may be right but i do not think in all cases greeks or turkish are right everytime..That does not make a sense with me.
But what the politicians Should think and what politians should find a solution is , obviously there is a problem in that region and this has to be solved. I remember father Papandrau ( sorry for the spelling ) he indexed all the greek and turkish problems to the Cyprus issue. I remember his son very well that he is the one with Ismail Cem to ease the relations between two countries. I mean if we dont talk these problems this type of incidents will keep on happening unfortunately.. I have been to Greece 5 times and i have seen that most people have no problem with Turks and Turkey. And turkish and greeks really look similar in the way they act or talk. Both people living on the each side of the Aegean sea are demanding peace and prosperity. But if we dont learn to live together this will stay like an utopia.
And future member of EU...Turkey..Well i do not think so. Because Europeans will never accept Turkey as a member. Though i am happy with that but on the other hand this is a problem between Greece and Turkey. So i do not think EU is a counterpart in this issue.
And as the last word..This is both for Turks and Greeks. If we keep on seing ourselves correct all the time we cant solve a thing.
And as for the greek pilot who died in the incident i hope he rests in peace.
Kind Regards.
No that is not true.. As a turkish citizen i do not hate greeks but just the opposite i like Greeks...
Himmmm !...
Interesting aproach...
but not good enough..
For example you call us bla bla bla because Turks are mostly muslims...
So should i call you all christians bla bla bla because of what Adolph Hitler did during the 2nd world war ?
Well i dont think so..
On the other hand for the iraqi invasion..Just be fair to yourself..Do you really think the USA is in Iraq to bring peace and democracy to Iraq ? Or are you there because of the oil reserves ?
Since May 24, 2006
well let me tell you like that..ý had many friends who completed their university educations in the USA. And there are many greeks who attend to the American universities.. All turks say the same , when abroad the best friends that they have are greeks always..
There may be some people who may be pissed off for sure..but as a turkish citizen i have been to greece 5 times.And i have seen that they are always nice to turkish people..of course i have never discusses the political issues there..if i did i am sure we would argue in a good way maybe...But i wouldnt be pissed off as long as there is no insult or so ;)
My friends were just traveling through and were not kids just out of college at all.
In the couple, the woman looks like a citizen of almost every country out there, so every place she goes, they all think she is a citizen. They said the (regular people) had lots of hostility between the two countries from their observation and as I said, there were negative words during border crossing towards my friends regarding buying in the other country.
They actually mentioned that as standing out from their trip to that area.
One country resented the other having occupied it once blah blah blah. You probably hear that before forever though.
that may be true before 2000..but after 2000 many thing changed.i tell you as a turkish citizen i have been to greece 5 times and when i was asked where i was from and replied as from turkey...the reaction that i get most of the time is... welcome neighbour ;)
and it is the same for the greeks when they visit turkey too
after 2000 of course
I hope relations are wonderful between your two great countries, I really do.
I don't see how such anger as my friends saw could subside for any reason in the last 5 years, but if it has, good for you guys. :)
Well if "solving" a problem with Turkey versus not solving it means a compromise with Turkey (on any level), then this American-Greek prefers that Greece doesn't solve anything with them. Not ever.
As is makes no difference to the Turks, or any other muslims, whether the "infidel" fights an honorable fight, compromises or submits to them.
The following is all your people understand.
...In July 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus and has occupied the northern part of the island ever since.
...The brutal manner of Athanassios Diakos's death at hands of the Turks on 1 April 1821 (Being roasted on a spit) initially struck fear into the populace of Roumeli, but his final stand at Thermopylae, echoing the heroic defence of the Spartan King Leonidas, made him a martyr for the Greek cause.
...when the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453 they renamed it Istanbul. The Sultan Mehmed entered the city, went directly to Haghia Sophia Church, and ordered it to be converted into a mosque.
Any questions?
Good start.
I wish it were different but turkey cost American soldiers lives.
Screw them.
Greek - vs - Turkey
Christian - vs - Muslim
Thank God they aren't both the same religion or there would be more and bloodier conflicts!
These 2 just cannot get along, after all, there are only so many sheep!
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