Greek fighters chased off Turkish jets 'violating air space'

Greek aircraft chased off Turkish fighter jets after they violated the country’s air space 20 times, Athens-based news website Kathimerini reported this week.

The six Turkish jets carried out the repeated violations after flying over Greece’s north, central and southern Aegean areas.

According to Greek defense officials, the violations led to a heated confrontation between Greek and Turkish jets.

Although violations happen with frequency between the two countries, Turkey and Greece have seen a rapid increase in incidents since 2013.

Turkey and Greece have longstanding territorial and other disputes. Greece claims a 10 nautical-mile air exclusion zone over its territory, including islands close to the Turkish coast. Turkey recognizes only a six nautical-mile zone.

The two countries came to the brink of war in 1996 over an islet in the Aegean, and often stage mock dogfights in disputed airspace. But bilateral ties and trade relations have improved considerably over the past decade.