Turkey withdraws forces from NATO Exercise following standoff with Greece
- Written by E.Tsiliopoulos
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Turkey has withdrawn some of its forces from the NATO "Steadfast Dart 2025" exercise following a standoff with Greece over airspace and search-and-rescue jurisdiction in the Aegean.
The disagreement centered around Turkey’s attempts to impose its views on the exercise’s planning document, which Greece opposed. Athens refused to accept exclusive Turkish claims over the Aegean, threatening to cancel the exercise if the terms were altered.
The Turkish Defense Ministry stated that issues in the exercise’s design contradicted Turkey’s national rights and international law (sic). It claimed that Greece is trying to impose its positions at every opportunity, even in NATO exercises held in Greece. Lately, they have tried to introduce into this exercise some issues in the exercise design document.
The dispute focused on the terminology related to NATO’s airspace, with Turkey pushing for a broad reference to “NATO Airspace” while Greece advocated for the inclusion of “Nation’s Airspace.” This conflict has resulted in high-level NATO negotiations, with US representatives aligning more closely with Greece’s stance.
Despite withdrawing reconnaissance forces from "Steadfast Dart", Turkey announced that it would continue participating in other NATO exercises, including Romania’s "Dacia".
The standoff in NATO exercises comes amid broader geopolitical tensions, as Turkey continues to assert its position on the Cyprus issue. TurAF had, also, withdraw in the past from NATO’s "Ramstein Flag 2024" exercise in Greece. Turkey opted out due to the same disagreements over the area covered by the Athens flight information region (FIR), a contentious issue since 1974.
This latest incident highlights ongoing military and diplomatic tensions between Greece and Turkey, despite the efforts for rapprochement since 2023 and the signing of "Athens Declaration" a Memorandum of no-aggression, and raises questions about NATO’s ability to mediate internal conflicts within the Alliance.
Athens has repeatedly criticized what it sees as Ankara’s disregard for international law and the sovereign rights of its neighbors. The Greek Defense Minister, Nikos Dendias, sent a strong message to Turkey on Wednesday, emphasizing that Alliance exercises are planned with full respect for the sovereign rights of all nations.
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