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Change Your Life! |
Turkish air force carries out unique mission |
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October 8, 2000
BALIKESIR AIR BASE (AP) - For decades, Turkish warplanes have fought high-speed mock dogfights against Greek jets flying over disputed territory, a show of strength that each side used to hone battle skills and intimidate the other. On Saturday, the Turkish air force carried out a new mission - welcoming the first Greek warplanes to visit a Turkish air base in at least three decades. The visit is part of a thaw in Turkish-Greek relations that began last year, when both sides sent aid to each other following devastating earthquakes. Six gray-and-blue Greek F-16 warplanes touched down at Balikesir, Turkey's main air base facing Greece. The eight-year-old daughter of a Turkish pilot welcomed Greek commander Lt. Col. George Vlassopoulos with a bouquet of flowers. Vlassopoulos thanked her with a kiss on each cheek. The Greek warplanes came to Turkey to join NATO's Destined Glory-2000 exercises, which will involve some 21,000 soldiers and sailors from seven countries: Greece, Turkey, the United States, Britain, Germany, Spain and Italy. The vast majority of the personnel will be on 70 ships taking part in the maneuvers. Turkey hosts the exercises but an American officer, Vice Adm. Gregory Johnson, is in command. The exercises start Monday with submarine maneuvers off the Turkish coast. In a brief welcoming ceremony, Col. Semih Birdogan, the operational commander of the Turkish base, called the joint training exercises "a historic opportunity for two countries." For decades, aircraft from Balikesir patrolled disputed regions of the Aegean Sea, occasionally engaging in mock dogfights with Greek aircraft patrolling the same area. Top Greek and Turkish officials have been talking throughout the year about ways to reduce tensions. Although few concrete steps have been taken to resolve the territorial disputes that brought the two sides to the brink of war three times in 26 years, the change is remarkable. Defense ministers from the rival countries met in Greece for the first time Tuesday and discussed possible ways of cutting military spending. The two NATO members have the most powerful militaries in the region. Turkey plans to dramatically boost its military capability, in part to counter expected threats from eastern and southern neighbors Iraq, Iran and Syria. Turkey expects to spend dlrs 150 billion over the next 25 years on weapons such as tanks, attack helicopters and jet fighters. Greece, which regards Turkey as its main threat, has signed weapons contracts worth some dlrs 8 billion during the past three years. Thanos Dokos, a military expert at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy in Athens, said Saturday marks the first time Greek fighters have landed in Turkey since the 1960s. Greek soldiers will arrive in Turkey on Monday to take part in landing maneuvers. Turkish soldiers and aircraft participated in similar military exercises earlier this year in Greece.
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