We are in 1967, a really very difficult year for Greece. A year that, in addition to the April 21 coup, brought the possibility of a war with Turkey very close... The Turkish Cypriots are still seeking autonomy and Turkey is once again escalating the tension in Greek-Turkish relations, inciting the uprising of the Turkish Cypriots, states through the mouth of the prime minister of Suleiman Demirel that "any actions aimed at violating the peace and security of our community in Cyprus, will be confronted by Turkey". This statement was made on September 9, 1967.
Stergios Theofanidis writes
On the first day of the Greek-Turkish talks in Evros, between the then Greek Prime Minister K. Kollias and Suleiman Demirel. The junta government, in its attempt to present an impressive diplomatic success, was led to a crucial fiasco in the Cyprus issue.
The talks that Athens sought on the Evros (one day on Turkish territory, in Kesan, and the other on Greek territory, in Alexandroupolis) on September 9 and 10, not only did not end anywhere, but also led to the withdrawal of the Greek Division from Megaloniso...
The first prime minister of the junta K. Kollias with S. Demirel in Alexandroupolis in September 1967. About two months later, on October 31, 1967, the leader of the Turkish Cypriots, Rauf Denktas, who had left the island, was arrested by the Cypriot authorities in Karpasia after the hostilities of August 1964... As the days pass the situation worsens and the developments are rapid.
At that time of the Turkish-instigated crisis in Cyprus, which resulted in the withdrawal of the Greek Division from the island in December 1967 with the well-known disastrous results seven years later, the Greek Air Force faced for the first time in history of the Turkish provocation (of a massive nature) over the Aegean.
It was November 8, 1967, the day the Arms' celebrations began and thus all its units were open to the public. Around 10:30, completely suddenly and unprovoked and for the first time since the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, dozens of Turkish fighter jets flying in small battle formations began to penetrate the Athens FIR and Greek airspace from Samothraki to Rose... At the same time!
The then commander of the 28th ATA, Lt. Gen. I. Anagnostopoulos, reacted instantly... He ordered the KAE (Air Operations Center - today's EKAE) to immediately take off aircraft to intercept the invaders and put all the units of the 28th ATA on alert, all units of the Air Force that is.
Immediately after, as he should have, he tried to inform about his actions the Chief of the GEA who at the time was Lieutenant General Antonakos. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't... The A/GEA never answered his phone calls! Of course, it didn't stop there. He then addressed himself, always by phone, to the Minister of National Defense, G. Papadopoulos. But he didn't answer either! READ THE INTERESTING CONTINUATION AT THE SOURCE