Kastellorizo

Further escalating regional tensions, Turkey on Tuesday issued four navigational telexes (navtexes), reserving areas in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean for naval exercises with live ammunition.

A Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flew over the tiny islet of Ro, west of the Dodecanese island of Kastellorizo, on Monday afternoon, the Hellenic Armed Forces General Staff (GEETHA) said.

The drone, which flew at 20,000 feet, entered Greek airspace at 3.12 p.m. It was identified and chased off, in line with international rules of engagement.

Ankara has issued a new navigational telex extending its reservation of an area stretching from west of the southeastern Aegean island of Kastellorizo to south of Rhodes.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu presented a map Monday of Turkey's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) stretching south of the southeastern Aegean island of Rhodes to a few miles west of Paphos on Cyprus' western coast.

Athens is observing with concern as Turkey continues to plan to prospect for hydrocarbons south of the Greek island of Kastellorizo despite warnings from the European Union of sanctions over its drilling off Cyprus.

Residents of the island of Rhodes in the Dodecanese who vote on Kastellorizo were transferred to the remote island on Sunday aboard a Navy vessel.

A Navy warship conducted two trips - one in the morning and one in the early afternoon - from Rhodes to Kastellorizo to transfer some 80 voters to the remote island.

Hellenic Coast Guard vessels assisted in the transfer.
 

Tension remains high in the Aegean as Turkish fighter jets have embarked on a barrage of airspace violations.
On Wednesday, Greek military officials recorded 42 violations by Turkish aircraft which also engaged in five mock dogfights with Greek jets in the area south of Rhodes as well between Chios and Samos near the Turkish coast.

The leadership of Greece's armed forces is reportedly examining all possible scenarios given the possible challenge by Turkey of Greece's sovereignty in the wider region of Kastellorizo in the southeastern Aegean.
For this purpose, all branches of the Greek military have been been taking all necessary precautions, reports said at the weekend.

With concerns rising about a possible "incident" in the Eastern Mediterranean or Aegean, Ankara appears to be stepping up its efforts to entrench its presence in the region.

The drillship Fatih is already in Cyprus's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and Turkish authorities have indicated that a second vessel, the Yavuz, will also be dispatched to the region in due course.

Turkish and Greek fighter jets engaged in a dogfight over the eastern Aegean islet of Ro on Thursday afternoon, as a helicopter carrying the Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff, Lieutenant-General Georgios Kambas, was trying to land.
The Turkish F-16 jets entered Greek airspace and flew one mile over Ro. They were soon intercepted by Greek fighter jets in a brief dogfight.