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The Turkish air force this week claimed it conducted a training activity involving fighter jets and support aircraft “south of Cyprus”, according to a statement issued by the country’s defense ministry.

The ministry also released video footage, saying aircraft had taken off from different air bases and participated in an “extended training flight” south of Cyprus and in international airspace over the Mediterranean.

The activity was also reported by Turkish media on Monday.

Ankara cites ‘rights and interests’ in Mediterranean

The wording used by the Turkish ministry to describe the activity was notable. Referring to the aircraft as “steel wings in the skies of the Mediterranean,” the ministry said Turkey’s activities were continuing “with determination.”

According to the Turkish side, the activity was aimed at “protecting our country’s rights and interests in the Mediterranean,” strengthening operational capabilities and maintaining a high level of readiness among its units.

The reference to “rights and interests” is the Turkish ministry’s own formulation accompanying its description of the activity as a training exercise.

Denizkurdu-I/2026 exercise

The air activity is taking place alongside Turkey’s Denizkurdu-I/2026 exercise, which began Sept. 20 and is scheduled to run through Sept. 25.

The exercise is being conducted simultaneously in the Black Sea, Sea of Marmara, Aegean and eastern Mediterranean, with the participation of naval, army and air force units as well as the coast guard.

The program includes operational readiness and training activities, including exercises involving live weapons.

The activity comes against the backdrop of longstanding Greek-Turkish disagreements over maritime jurisdiction and security in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean. Greece rejects Turkish claims concerning maritime jurisdiction and the status of Aegean islands, maintaining that dialogue should be based on international law, particularly the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The dispute has recently involved military activity, maritime research and infrastructure. In early September, Turkey dispatched a research vessel south of Kastellorizo, prompting a Turkish navigation notice and a Greek counter-Navtex challenging Ankara’s authority to issue navigational instructions in the area and asserting Greek jurisdiction.

Foremostly, however, Turkey continues to occupy roughly one-third of the Republic of Cyprus since the summer of 1974 in the face of UN Resolutions calling for the troop’s departure. In 1983 Turkey also recognized a Turkish Cypriot pseudo-state in the areas it occupies.