Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned Greece on Saturday that it would pay a "heavy price" if it continued to violate Turkish airspace and "harass" Turkish aircraft over the Aegean Sea. Last Sunday, Turkey announced that Turkish aircraft on a mission in the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean were targeted by Greece using the S-300 air defense system, condemning it as an "hostile act."
Speaking to a crowd in the Black Sea region, Erdoğan stated, "Greece, look at history. If you move forward, you will pay a heavy price." He added, "We have one word for Greece: Do not forget İzmir," referring to the city on the Aegean Sea that the Greeks call Smyrna.
Greece occupied Smyrna after being awarded it under a treaty at the end of World War I, which Turkey never recognized. The Turks regained the city in 1922. Erdoğan said on Saturday, "Your occupation of the islands (in the Aegean close to Turkey) does not concern us. When the time comes, we will do what is necessary. We may suddenly arrive overnight," repeating a phrase he often used to launch operations in Syria.
Greece accuses Turkish aircraft of flying over Greek islands near the Turkish border, reflecting the ongoing dispute between the two hostile nations through numerous patrols. Meanwhile, Ankara condemns the presence of troops on these islands, considering it a violation of the peace treaties signed after the two World Wars. In June, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu declared that Ankara would challenge Greece's sovereignty over these islands if it continued to send troops to them.
