Turkey claims to have intercepted six Greek fighters in south-west Cyprus

The Turkish air force has intercepted and "removed" six Greek fighters that had taken off from Crete from a region in the south-west of Cyprus, the Turkish Ministry of Defence said on Friday.

The air incident took place on Thursday over an area of the eastern Mediterranean that Turkey claims as an exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and where Turkish seismic vessels and drillers are exploring oil fields.

"The Turkish air force detected by radar that six F-16 fighters had taken off from the island of Crete and were heading towards the Greek Cypriot area," a statement issued on Friday on the website of the Turkish Ministry of Defence said.

"F-16 fighters belonging to the Turkish Air Force intercepted this military traffic in south-western Cyprus as they approached the area warned by Navtex," the statement continued, referring to the area in which the Turkish ships, whose presence had been made known in recent days through the Navtex maritime message system, were operating.

The Turkish fighters "identified the aircraft as belonging to Greece and took them away from the area", the statement said, underlining the determination of the Armed Forces to "protect the rights and interests of Turkey".

Although the note does not specify the location, the areas where the Turkish ships operate are on the high seas, more than 200 kilometres from the Turkish coast, and at similar distances from Cyprus and Crete.

During the current month, there were also confrontations between Turkish and Greek military ships on the occasion of the Turkish drilling that the EU has called "illegal" because they are in areas that not only Ankara, but also Athens and Nicosia claim as exclusive economic zones.