The Turkish Defence Ministry posted a provocative video on its official Twitter account showing army cadets of the National Military Academy swimming to the island of Tuzla, 1,950 metres away from the academy’s facilities, as part of the “Scheduled Swimming Training”, a symbolic distance as it is the exact length between the Turkish south-west coast and the Greek island of Kasterlorizo.

Millî Savunma Üniversitesi Deniz Harp Okulunda (DHO) eğitimlerine devam eden Harbiyeliler; “Planlı Açık Deniz Yüzme Eğitimleri” kapsamında, DHO İç Liman’dan 1.950 metre mesafedeki Tuzla Adası’na yüzerek gitti.@msuedutr pic.twitter.com/YMyXJTRbi9

— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) January 1, 2022

The move is particularly egregious, as it comes a week after Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar addressed the military academy on Christmas Eve,  provocatively stating that “even a student of the Turkish military academy could swim to Kastelorizo” which is 1,950 meters from the Turkish coast, while he accused Greece of claiming a maritime zone around the island.

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