Turkey Forbids Greece To Perform Military Exercises in E.Aegean

Ankara forbids Greece to hold military exercises in the eastern Aegean islands, citing the 1914 Treaty and the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923 and as such issued a NAVIGATIONAL WARNING which argues that the island of "Samothrace is demilitarized area and may not be included in any military exercise scenario."

Ana all this in response to a military exercise titled TAMS AIGIALOS which began on Monday and is expected to end of Friday 06/04, (Wednesday being the most "critical" day of the excerise where there will be a Navy Vessel invasion by four men from the 505 Marine Battalion).

In response, Greece issued a NOTAM  on the Turkish allegations and everything looks like it will end here unless Ankara begins to suddenly become concerned again. In such a case, and order has been issued for increased military interceptor squadrons to be on alert.

Today the Navy Vessel sailed from Salamina, and on Wednesday it will hold firing exercises near the island of Andros (somewhere where we are still "allowed" to conduct such military exercises...) and then it is scheduled to sail to Volos, where it will load the relevant battalion to conduct the exercise which should be at dawn on Wednesday in Samothrace

The Turkish - NAVIGATIONAL   WARNING   is as follows:

A1149/12 (Issued for LTBB LGGG) - NAVIGATIONAL WARNING TO ALL CONCERNED.
THIS NOTAM IS ISSUED TO CLARIFY THE A0501/12 NOTAM ISSUED BY GREEK
CAA. THE A0501/12 NOTAM ISSUED BY GREEK CAA CONSTITUES A BREACH OF
GREECE'S TREATY OBLIGATIONS PERTAINING TO THE DEMILITARIZED STATUS
OF EASTERN AEGEAN ISLANDS UNDER 'THE 1914 SIX POWERS' DECISION AND
'THE 1923 LAUSANNE PEACE TREATY (WITH ITS ANNEX, THE CONVENTION
RELATING TO THE REGIME OF THE STRAITS) '. SEMOTHRACE, MENTIONED IN
THE NOTAM AT REFERENCE HAS A DEMILITARIZED STATUS. THUS SEMOTHRACE
MUST NOT BE INCLUDED IN ANY SCENARIO / CONCEPT OF ANY TRAINING OR
EXERCISE. SFC - FL100, 04 APR 04:30 2012 UNTIL 04 APR 05:10 2012. CREATED: 29
MAR 11:35 2012

And the Greek "response"

A0501/12 - HELLENIC NAVY AND AIRFORCE WILL MAKE A WITHOUT FIRING EXER WITHIN
ATHINAI FIR AS DESCRIBED BELOW:
1-EXERCISE AREA (WITHOUT FIRING): 05NM RAD 402648N0252906E
VERTICAL LIMITS: 0-10000FT AMSL.
2. - EXERCISE AREA (WITHOUT FIRING): 05NM RAD 385038N0243345E
SKIROS MTMA AFFECTED.
VERTICAL LIMITS: 0-10000FT AMSL.
3. - PROCEDURES FOR EXERCISE AIRCRAFT:
3.1. - EXERCISE AIRCRAFT WILL FLY VFR / VMC IN ACCORDANCE WITH ICAO
RULES AND PROCEDURES AS AMPLIFIED IN AIP-GREECE.
3.2. - EXERCISE AIRCRAFT WILL SUBMIT FLIGHT PLANS AND WILL NOT ENTER
CONTROLLED AIRSPACE, UNLESS PRIOR PERMISSION HAS BEEN OBTAINED BY
COMPETENT ATC UNITS.
4. - PROCEDURES FOR NON EXERCISE AIRCRAFT:
4.1. - IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY DURING THE EXERCISE, NON EXERCISE
AIRCRAFT ARE STRONGLY ADVISED NOT TO FLY WITHIN THE AREAS DESIGNATED
IN PARAS (1) AND (2) ABOVE. 00000FT AMSL - 10000FT AMSL, APR 04 0430-0510, 04
APR 04:30 2012 UNTIL 04 APR 05:10 2012. CREATED: 29 MAR 06:16 2012

Translated by hellasfrappe
Defencenet