Greece–Turkey relations

Defense Minister Panos Kammenos threw a wreath into the sea off the uninhabited islets of Imia in the eastern Aegean on the anniversary of a crisis that brought Greece and Turkey to the brink of war in 1996 and cost the lives of three Hellenic Navy servicemen.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has again disputed Greece's sovereignty over parts of the Aegean Sea, while accusing Athens of building up bilateral tension while Ankara is busy fighting what he described as "terrorism" in its wider region.

Greece will not extradite eight Turkish soldiers who fled there after the failed 2016 coup but an offer to try them in Athens is still open, the justice minister said on Jan. 23.

Fishermen on the southeastern Aegean of Kalymnos say they are routinely harassed by Turkish patrol boats and trawlers every time they head for the nearby islet of Imia and other areas, preventing them from making a living. 

A day after a Turkish coast guard vessel scraped a Hellenic Navy gunboat near the islet of Imia, tensions peaked again on Thursday as Turkish fighter jets violated Greek air space between Limnos and Lesvos. 

In the first air space violation in days, a pair of armed Turkish F-16s entered Greek air space shortly before 3 p.m. and a mock dogfight ensued with two Greek fighter jets. 

Greece has had to deal with some incident or another around Imia at around this time every year since the country nearly went to war with Turkey in 1996 over the uninhabited islet.

This year is different, however, and Athens needs to be very careful in its reactions.

A video has been released showing an incident on Wednesday between a Turkish coast guard vessel and a Hellenic Navy gunboat conducting a routine patrol in the area near Imia, which is seen in Greece as yet another sign of growing tension between the two neighbors amid increased provocations from Turkey.

With Turkish authorities insisting on the extradition of eight Turkish servicemen who fled their country after a thwarted coup in 2016, and amid rising tensions in the Aegean, there are fears in Athens of a further degeneration in Greek-Turkish ties.

A Christmas Eve mass was held on Jan. 6 by the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul.

A Christmas Eve mass was held on Jan. 6 by the Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul.