ANKARA, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye said on Tuesday that Greek fighter jets "harassed" Turkish planes during a NATO-coordinated mission over the Aegean Sea, as tensions between the two neighbors have been growing recently.
During the flight mission on Monday that had been notified to all NATO allies 24 hours in advance, Greek fighter jets that took off from five different air bases "harassed" the Turkish planes in the international airspace of the Aegean, the Turkish Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The Turkish planes responded to the Greek aircraft and the NATO flight mission that involved 14 F-16 fighter jets and four other aircraft was completed "successfully," the ministry statement added.
This is the second such "harassment" from Greek aircraft alleged by Türkiye in three days.
Greece has not commented on the Turkish allegations yet.
Türkiye and Greece, two NATO allies, have long been at odds over their overlapping claims of airspace and territorial waters in the Aegean and Mediterranean, as well as other issues concerning minorities and illegal immigration.
In August, Türkiye accused Greece of harassing Turkish jets carrying out NATO missions, while Greece rejected the claims.
Over what Ankara calls a military buildup on the Greek Aegean islands next to the Turkish coastline in recent months, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly vowed a military response. ■