The diplomatic game behind Turkey's NOTAM revocation

The difference was that the coordinates of the NOTAM included not only Greek sea areas, but also areas on Greek soil!

The first reaction came from the Civil Aviation Authority which notified the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry. The next steps were decided by Alexis Tsipras in concert with Nikos Kotzias and Panos Kammenos, who decided to send strict demarches not only to Turkey, via the Greek charge d'affaires in Ankara, but also to NATO, the European Union, and ICAO.

The item that changed the agenda and contributed to the withdrawal of the NOTAM by Turkey on Monday was the inclusion in the NOTAM of land areas.

The main route followed to resolve the crisis was through NATO. The Permanent Representative of Greece to the Alliance ambassador Michael Hristos Diamesis visited NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at his home in Brussels.

The official was initially skeptical and willing to downplay the issue as a conflict between the two countries which should be resolved at the level of bilateral relations. The Greek diplomat however showed maps and analyzed the area Turkey wanted to commit which is extremely crucial for air traffic and the potential risks to flight safety.

Meanwhile the Greek side served demarches to the European Union and ICAO and after some time Turkey gradually withdrew the NOTAM.