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Turkish intelligence drone spotted near Greek island of Rhodes

August 2020

On 11 August, Turkish intelligence-gathering unmanned aircraft was spotted flying over the intermediate zone between the southwest of Turkey’s coast and the Greek island of Rhodes.

According to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, Turkish intelligence drone is conducting maritime reconnaissance flights near Rhodes in the intermediate zone between Cyprus and Rhodes.

At the same time, Greece has issued a naval alert after Turkey announced it was sending a ship to carry out a drilling survey in waters close to a Greek island off Turkey’s south coast.

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According to BBC, Greece has said the Turkish naval move violates its sovereign rights. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and said he would talk to other Greek political leaders about the escalation on Thursday.

Also reported Greece on Monday accused NATO ally Turkey of “threatening peace” in the eastern Mediterranean after Ankara resumed searching for oil and gas near the remote Greek island of Kastellorizo.

The Greek foreign ministry said that Turkey’s decision to deploy a seismic research ship constituted a “new serious escalation” and “exposed” Turkey’s “destabilising role.”

The Greek ministry said the country “will defend its sovereignty and its sovereign rights.”