Politics
Greece escalates Aegean tensions with military drill
Amid a war of words with Türkiye over the Aegean Sea, Greece conducted a military exercise that may further fuel tensions. The “Alexandros” exercise included scenarios such as landing troops on small islets, seizing uninhabited rocky outcrops and conducting nighttime operations.
Türkiye and Greece have occasionally taken steps that could translate into a greater conflict in the future, but they have generally favored maintaining good relations, especially amid a climate of rapprochement under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Mitsotakis, however, appears to be reversing his earlier, warmer rhetoric. He asserted Greece’s “inalienable right” to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean earlier this month, days after his country signed a historic defense deal with Türkiye’s longtime adversary, Israel. Experts say this newfound confidence could upset the relative calm.
The Alexandros exercise came against this backdrop. At least 70 fighter jets were mobilized, while special forces and ground units in different parts of Greece were also placed on alert as part of the scenario.
According to Greece’s Kathimerini newspaper, the “Alexandros” exercise tested the response speed, coordination and readiness levels of the Greek Armed Forces’ air, land and naval units. The exercise scenarios envisaged units being ready for deployment within just five minutes. The Greek Armed Forces also carried out nighttime operations to seize small islets during the exercise. Ground units in the Evros region near the Turkish border and on the islands were also placed on full alert. The aerial display during the Greek military exercise also drew attention. The stated aim of the exercise was to test the Greek Armed Forces’ ability to respond rapidly in the event of a sudden and coordinated crisis.
The exercise’s focus on small islets and rocky outcrops brought the long-running Aegean disputes between Ankara and Athens back into the spotlight.
Türkiye argues that the demilitarized status of some islands in the Eastern Aegean, as established by international treaties, is being violated. Greece rejects Türkiye’s assessment on the issue.
About two weeks before Greece’s latest exercise, a military deployment by Türkiye had also received extensive coverage in the Greek media. Türkiye had moved units belonging to the 51st Commando Brigade to the Söke district of Aydın province as part of the regular course of a planned deployment. The deployment was closely followed in Greece because Söke is located opposite the island of Samos. Greek media outlets claimed that the units constituted a commando force of around 2,000 personnel, while some reports described the development as a “Turkish wall in the Aegean.” However, Türkiye’s Defense Ministry said the transfer of the units to Söke was part of a deployment change that had been planned and approved in June.
In a related development, Angelos Syrigos, a lawmaker from Greece’s ruling New Democracy party, acknowledged that Greece had twice backed down in 2024 from seabed surveys related to a Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection project near Crete after Turkish warships arrived in the area, despite Greece not having sought permission from Türkiye. Syrigos discussed the incidents that took place in July and November 2024 during an appearance on ERT News. Regarding Greece’s response after Türkiye sent five warships to the area in July 2024 and then sent warships again in November, albeit with lower intensity, Syrigos said, “We backed down on both occasions. We did not continue the seabed surveys.”
When the host asked, “Did we back down?” Syrigos replied, “Yes,” and claimed that Athens believed at the time that the issue could be resolved through dialogue and in accordance with international law provisions concerning the laying of undersea cables. Syrigos said cable-laying activities had previously been carried out in the same broad maritime area without serious problems, leading Greece to believe that the current project could proceed in a similar manner. However, he said, the same conditions did not materialize this time.
Syrigos claimed that Türkiye would not be asked for permission for the cable work, but that a French research vessel could notify the Turkish side this time. He argued that notifying Türkiye would not amount to seeking its permission.
Media outlets reported on Wednesday that Ruhtan Başkaya, a member of the municipal assembly in the southwestern Turkish town of Fethiye for the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), was expelled from his party after he was caught with a minor in his hotel room in China.
Reports emerged on Tuesday that the assembly member from the town in the southwestern province of Muğla had been detained in China for the past two months after visiting the country. The Fethiye branch of the party confirmed the reports, saying that Başkaya was in China for a training program paid for out of his own pocket, while media reports claimed that he was there with a delegation from the Fethiye Municipality between July 3 and July 16.
On Wednesday, the Yeni Asır newspaper reported that Başkaya met a girl at an entertainment venue in the country and took her to his hotel room. The girl, apparently a minor, alerted police over an unspecified complaint, and police raided the hotel room, taking Başkaya into custody. The CHP’s Muğla branch announced on Tuesday that the matter had been referred to the disciplinary board and that Başkaya had been expelled from the party with immediate effect.
The CHP is no stranger to sex scandals. Özkan Yalım, the party’s mayor in the western province of Uşak, who was arrested last March on corruption charges, was expelled from the party in May. Yalım was detained in a hotel room with his mistress in Ankara during the corruption raid.
A subsequent investigation also found that the disgraced mayor had hired his other girlfriends as “ghost employees” of the municipality. The party’s late chair, Deniz Baykal, stepped down in 2010 after a video of him having an extramarital affair with his former secretary emerged.
Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) referred five district mayors to its disciplinary board Wednesday and called for their expulsion, as the party moves against members accused of supporting rival political movements.
CHP spokesman Müslim Sarı announced the decision following a meeting of the party’s Central Executive Board (MYK), chaired by party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
The mayors facing disciplinary proceedings are Mesut Kösedağı of Istanbul’s Kadıköy district, Alper Yeğin of Sancaktepe, Mustafa Oktay Aksu of Sarıyer, Cem Kotan of Antalya’s Konyaaltı district and Osman Tarık Özçelik of Alanya.
Sarı said working for another political party while remaining a CHP member constituted a clear disciplinary offense.
“No one can remain within the Republican People’s Party while trying to provide logistical support to another party or contributing to it,” he said.
Sarı also criticized CHP mayors who have left the party to join the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), saying there could be “no explanation” for such moves.
The spokesperson said the party would continue monitoring its members, adding that the latest disciplinary referrals would not be the last.
Sarı also confirmed that Kılıçdaroğlu would attend events marking the opening of the new legislative year in Parliament, including the General Assembly session and evening reception.
Türkiye’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday that the Azerbaijan-hosted the “Unity’s Strength-2026” military exercise, involving forces from Türkiye and Uzbekistan, was continuing successfully, with designated targets hit during drills in Nakhchivan.
The ministry released footage of activities conducted as part of the exercise, highlighting what it described as “joint training, strong coordination and high readiness.”
“Unity’s Strength in the field,” the ministry noted in a social media post accompanying footage from the drills.
The exercise, which runs from Sept. 21 to Oct. 1, is aimed at improving the participating forces’ ability to counter hybrid threats and strengthening their capacity to plan and conduct joint military operations, according to the ministry.
Elements of the Turkish General Staff, Land Forces, Naval Forces and Air Forces Commands are participating in the exercise.
The drills are designed to enhance interoperability and coordination among the participating countries’ armed forces through joint training and operational scenarios.
The National Security Council (NSC), chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will meet on Wednesday.
Media outlets reported that the meeting would focus on the terror-free Türkiye initiative that involves the disarmament of the terrorist group PKK. Participants will also discuss U.S.-Iran tensions, the state of the Strait of Hormuz, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, maritime security in the Black Sea affected by the said conflict, developments in Gaza and Yemen, measures to protect the rights of Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) in the Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean, and measures for economic security.
The council is comprised of ministers and other top officials and serves as a guide for policymakers, especially on security-related matters.
The council will also discuss the implications of the National Solidarity and Social Integration Coordination Board meeting held at the beginning of the week, chaired by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz. The board is tasked with setting a road map and coordinating the terror-free Türkiye process.
Diplomatic efforts aimed at returning to negotiations amid tensions between the U.S. and Iran, as well as the impact of intermittent clashes on the security of the Strait of Hormuz, will be assessed at the meeting. Mediation efforts aimed at securing peace in the Russia-Ukraine war will also be on the NSC’s agenda. The council will also discuss possible steps to ensure navigational safety in the Black Sea.
The latest developments regarding efforts to end cease-fire violations in Gaza and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region will also be discussed. The impact of the Houthis’ wave of attacks targeting Saudi Arabia on regional stability in Yemen will also be assessed. Joint military cooperation steps that could be taken with regional countries under the framework of the Mecca defense pact will also be on the agenda, media outlets reported.
Türkiye’s Constitutional Court struck down a provision allowing courts to award post-divorce poverty alimony indefinitely, ruling that the measure could impose a disproportionate financial burden on the paying spouse.
The decision, published in the Official Gazette on Wednesday, annulled the phrase “indefinitely” in Article 175 of the Turkish Civil Code, which regulates poverty alimony following divorce.
The ruling removes the requirement that such payments be awarded without a predetermined time limit and clears the way for a new legal framework under which the duration of payments can be determined according to the circumstances of individual cases.
The annulment will take effect nine months after its publication, on June 30, 2027, giving Parliament time to adopt new legislation and prevent a legal vacuum.
Under the existing provision, a spouse who would fall into poverty as a result of divorce may request financial support from the other spouse, provided that the requesting party is not more at fault for the breakdown of the marriage. The amount is determined according to the financial capacity of the paying spouse.
The court said the current system could require a former spouse to remain financially responsible for the consequences of a marriage for the rest of their life without requiring judges to assess specific criteria when determining the duration of payments.
It said a fair balance should be established between the interests of the spouse who risks falling into poverty and those of the spouse required to pay alimony.
The court said factors including the length of the marriage, the spouses’ ages and health, their economic and social circumstances, their ability to participate in the workforce and the impact of the alimony obligation on their post-divorce lives should be considered.
Under current law, periodic alimony automatically ends if the recipient remarries or either party dies. A court may also terminate payments if the recipient lives with another person as though married, is no longer in poverty or leads what the law describes as a “dishonorable life.”
The Constitutional Court said that outside those circumstances, the obligation could continue throughout the payer’s lifetime.
It also noted that the person required to pay poverty alimony does not necessarily have to be at fault for the divorce.
The court said requiring indefinite payments categorically and without criteria could place an excessive burden on the paying spouse and upset the balance the state is required to maintain between competing rights.
The ruling also leaves open the possibility of lifetime alimony in certain cases. The court said lawmakers could establish a system that allows payments to be limited to a specific period, depending on individual circumstances, while also permitting extensions, including potentially for life, when legally defined conditions are met.
Parliament is expected to determine the new rules governing the duration of poverty alimony before the annulment takes effect.
Greece and France have discussed a possible adjustment to the route of a planned undersea electricity cable linking Greece, the Greek Cypriot administration and Israel, as Athens seeks to manage tensions with Türkiye in the Eastern Mediterranean, according to Greek media reports.
Kathimerini reported that Athens and Paris had considered a “light redesign” of the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) that would keep the cable outside an area covered by Türkiye’s Fethiye-Kaş marine park, declared south of the Greek island of Meis in August. The newspaper said the proposed adjustment was intended to reduce the risk of a new dispute rather than signal Greek recognition of Turkish jurisdiction in the area.
On Aug. 16, two presidential decrees published in the Official Gazette have reaffirmed Türkiye’s maritime rights in the Aegean Sea.
One decree designated an area between the Fethiye district of Muğla and the Kaş district of Antalya in the south of the Aegean as a national marine park, while another applied the same designation to an area in the North Aegean Sea, near the coasts of Tekirdağ and Çanakkale.
The project, intended to connect the island of Cyprus with Europe’s electricity grid and eventually extend to Israel, has faced geopolitical and financial challenges. French infrastructure investor Meridiam acquired a 66% stake in GSI in August, increasing Paris’ involvement in the project.
Athens and its partners decided to alter the route of the planned undersea cable following objections from Ankara, according to reports.
The reported decision to adjust the route came after a warning issued by Türkiye’s Defense Ministry on Sept. 24.
In the statement, the ministry said any cable- or pipeline-laying activities within Türkiye’s continental shelf must be coordinated with Ankara, also underlining that Türkiye would continue to protect its rights and interests stemming from its maritime jurisdiction and continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean.
“No unauthorized activity that disregards our country’s rights will be permitted,” the ministry said.
Kathimerini also reported that Athens was considering extending its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles south and west of Crete before new seabed surveys begin.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Paris on Sept. 9, with talks focusing on energy infrastructure, regional developments and bilateral cooperation.
According to Greek media, Mitsotakis and Macron discussed steps toward implementing the GSI. The meeting came after French investment group Meridiam reached an agreement to become the majority shareholder in the company responsible for developing the GSI project.
The Paris talks took place at a critical stage for the project, particularly as stakeholders consider the resumption of seabed surveys needed for the planned cable.
Separately, Greek newspaper Ta Nea recently published a hypothetical four-stage military scenario involving a “preemptive strike” in the event intelligence indicated an imminent Turkish attack.
The scenario was based on assessments by military analysts and remarks by Greek Chief of the National Defense General Staff Gen. Dimitrios Houpis about Greece’s capacity to conduct strikes at strategic depth.
Ankara and Athens seek to improve relations after years of hostilities, but maritime jurisdictions remain a thorny issue. The countries, which came close to an all-out war in the 1990s over the Aegean Sea, remain vigilant, with Türkiye concentrating on developing its domestic defense industry. Greece, on the other hand, relies on foreign partners to bolster its defenses.
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