ATHENS – In another shot at Turkey, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the home base of the Greek Air Force’s 115th Combat Wing in Chania, Crete and inspected Viper and F-16 aircraft.

Turkey and Libya signed a maritime deal no other country recognizes which claims waters around Crete for energy exploration and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan keeps warning of an invasion of Greece.

Turkish fighter jets regularly violate Greek airspace before being chased out by Greek pilots, among the best in the NATO defense alliance to which both countries belong, which has said nothing about the incursions.

The premier was briefed on the mission, organisation and readiness of the Combat Wing, the upgrading of the aircraft and the overall strengthening of the Armed Forces, said the state-run Athens-Macedonia News Agency ANA-MPA.

“It is an important upgrade for the Air Force, a very important programme which, in combination with other investments, I believe now provide us with a long-term confidence that we have strengthened our detterence ability to a point where we are not intimidated by anyone,” Mitsotakis said of Greece’s defense.

He later paid a visit to the 343th Squadron, based at Eleusis, where he was welcomed by the pilots whom he thanked. He was accompanied by the chief of the Hellenic Airforce General Staff, Lieutenant General Themistoklis Bourolias.