Turkey warns Greece as pilot of crashed aircraft is returned

Tuesday after being intercepted by Greek aircraft near the eastern Aegean island of Chios.

Tuesday after being intercepted by Greek aircraft near the eastern Aegean island of Chios.

Greek naval forces rescued the pilot and took him to a hospital on Chios, off the Turkish coast, after his plane crashed in the Aegean Sea. A search for his copilot continued yesterday.

Defence Ministry officials in Athens said no shots were fired during the incident on the last day of joint Greek Cypriot military exercises - "Nikiforos" on Cyprus and "Toxotis" in the southern Aegean.

Turkey has ace used Greece of provocation over its annual military exercises in Cyprus and has threatened possible retaliatory action. Serious, provocations have been committed this year, like last year, during the manoeuvres by the Greek Cypriots and Greeks. The manoeuvres contained elements of assault, said Mr Sermet Atacanli of the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

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On Monday the Cypriot government in Nicosia said a Turkish aircraft harassed Greek planes taking part in the exercises. Greece has reported more than 50 airspace violations since Monday, when the exercises started, and Athens says Greek fighters were scrambled more than 40 times to inter - Turkish planes on Monday alone.

In Ankara, Mr Atacanli described the manoeuvres as "a military and political escalation which, threatens the peace and stability of the region. . . Such provocative attitudes will not contribute to the process of finding a solution regarding Cyprus and should be stopped. If not, certain measures of retaliation can be envisaged."

Athens accused Ankara of tailing to respect the "rules of the game after the Turkish tighter crashed near Chios.

The Greek Defence Minister Mr Akis Tsohatzopoulos, said the humanitarian efforts for the pilots "should not be taken as the start of a dialogue," adding: "There is no dialogue with Turkey.

The Turkish pilot was rescued after three Greek helicopters and two warships were rushed to the scene, and were joined by three Turkish ships.

The latest tensions over Cyprus follow the deaths in August of two Greek Cypriots in clashes with Turkish Cypriots and Turks in the UN patrolled buffer zone.