The Turkish government has made claims to over half the Aegean Sea, as the Turkish Air Force frequently enter Greek air and maritime space, violating daily international laws set by both the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923 and the Paris Peace Treaties in 1947. The Turkish air force often conducts armed flyovers which lead to “dogfights.” These dogfights, which often transpire in close proximity to high-traffic, civilian airports, result from the Greek air forces attempts to remove without force Turkish fighter jets. Between 2010-2016, 10,000 violations of airspace occurred. In 2017 alone, 3000 violations occurred and, in 2018, a Greek fighter pilot crashed and died after a “dogfight” altercation. Maritime boundary violations have also been skyrocketing, going from 414 in 2016 to 1861 in 2017. Turkish maritime provocations reached new levels in 2018 when a Turkish vessel rammed a Greek Coast Guard ship off the coast of Imia in the Aegean Sea.

The peace kept thus far largely stems from responsible reactions by the Greek government to an aggressive, official Turkish policy that often threatens war and animosity with claims based neither in legal nor historical fact. These actions threaten both inter and intra-regional stability and must be addressed with utmost seriousness. This disregard for peace and rejection of international law must be condemned and met with consequence. Furthermore, American arm deals to Turkey must be reviewed to guarantee that any military equipment is not used in any form of aggressive action towards Greece, an American ally.