Despite the political consultations in Ankara on Friday between delegations of the Greek and Turkish foreign ministries, tension continued to simmer due to a barrage of 40 airspace violations by seven Turkish fighter jets in the north and southeastern Aegean, and another challenge to Greece’s sovereignty issued by a senior ranking official of the neighboring country.

Five of the violations led to mock dogfights between Greek and Turkish jets. Moreover, 18 of these violations were overflights over the islands of Ro, Kastellorizo and Strongyli in the southeastern Aegean just after a visit to the area by Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff Lieutenant-General Georgios Kambas.

At the same time, the acting director general at the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Cagatay Erciyes, posted a comment on Twitter challenging Greece’s sovereign rights, with an attached photo indicating Kastellorizo.

“It is ridiculous to believe that a small island of 10 km2 which is 2 km [from Turkey] and 570 km away [from Greece] can create a 40,000 km2 maritime zone in the Mediterranean,” Erciyes said in a translated comment on Twitter.