Turkish navy, air force drills in Aegean Sea amid tensions

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish air and naval forces are conducting joint training exercises in the Aegean Sea, the country’s Defense Ministry says, amid strains with neighbor Greece over hydrocarbon discoveries. Turkish F-16 fighter jets took part alongside warships to “enhance, maintain and improve the operational capability of joint inter-forces operations,” the ministry tweeted Saturday. The announcement came as NATO members Turkey and Greece face-off in the eastern Mediterranean Sea over gas and oil exploration and a day after Turkey declared significant gas discoveries in the Black Sea. Two weeks ago, Turkey sent a warship-escorted research vessel to prospect in waters where Greece claims exclusive rights. Athens sent its own warships to the area and put its military on alert.