A multinational military exercise in Greece this month generated howls of criticism by a few pro-government Turkish media on Tuesday, with the US ambassador in the country specifically targeted after posting photographs of his flight aboard a US F-16 on Tuesday.
A multinational military exercise in Greece this month generated howls of criticism by a few pro-government Turkish media on Tuesday, with the US ambassador in the country specifically targeted after posting photographs of his flight aboard a US F-16 on Tuesday.
The annual "Iniochos" exercise this year saw extensive participation by the USAF, France with Rafale fighter planes, along with units from Israel, UAE, Spain and even Cyprus, which participated with a helicopter. The exercise, centered at the Andravida airbase in the northwest Peloponnese (southwest Greece), also witnessed the arrival of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and American ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, among several other dignitaries.
However, it was Pyatt's posts of photographs on his Twitter profile, showing him in the cockpit of the fighter plane and in flight, that "ruffled the features" of a portion of Turkish media, with the daily Milliyet, for instance, headlining an article with "Scandalous pose in the cockpit".
One Tweet by Pyatt, which the Turkish outlet claimed as being "pro-Greek", was the following: "Thank you to @HQUSAFEAFAF for showing me breathtaking views of Greece from the cockpit of an F-16! We proudly join Greece & 6 other countries for #INIOCHOS21 showcasing Greece's unique geostrategic position & our expanding defense partnership which continues to reach new heights."
AP covered the military exercise with an extensive article, here:
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/article/In-race-to-rearm-Greece-seeks-partnerships-more-16114192.php