Turkey Holds Greek Foreign Minister's Airplane in the Air for 20 Minutes, Refusing Flight Permission

The Turkish authorities held a Greek government airplane in the air for 20 minutes on Wednesday evening near the Turkish-Iraqi border, north of the city of Mosul, refusing to grant flight permission despite prior approval for the flight.

The airplane was carrying Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, as reported by RIA Novosti, referencing Greek ERT television.

“This action goes beyond the framework of friendly relations and violates the rules of diplomatic conduct,” noted the television station.

It is known that this was the first visit by the Greek Foreign Minister to Iraq in the last 22 years. After the visit, the airplane departed from Iraq.

“Turkish authorities had been informed about the special flight of the aircraft and initially granted flight permission, but then revoked it as the airplane approached the border. Intensive diplomatic negotiations commenced, forcing the airplane to reduce altitude and make circles until the issue was resolved. Moreover, there was a risk of insufficient fuel,” the source reported.