Early this morning, the Chief of the Greek National Defense, Gen. Dimitrios Houpis, ordered the holding of a joint training exercise in the northeastern region of Evros and the Aegean Sea, state television ERT reported, BTA reports.
According to a press release from the General Staff, the aim of the exercise is “to increase operational readiness by testing the procedures for implementing special plans within the framework of operational planning“.
According to information from the online edition of the “Kathimerini“ newspaper The exercise involves over 60 fighter jets, the entire Greek Navy fleet, as well as special forces deployed on 30 islands in the Aegean Sea and army formations in the Evros border region.
The maneuvers are being conducted in response to a navigation telex (Navtex) issued by the Turkish station in Izmir, which reserved areas for exploration by the Turkish research vessel “Piri Reis“. The exploration was expected to begin this Monday, but according to Greek officials, the ship remained anchored in the port of Izmir - a fact that Athens interprets as a possible sign of hesitation in Ankara, “Kathimerini“ notes.