Türkiye issues diplomatic note to Greece over C-130 social media post timing
Türkiye's Foreign Ministry delivered a verbal note to Greece on Thursday following the Hellenic Air Force's controversial social media post showing C-130 transport aircraft just two days after a Turkish military cargo plane of the same model crashed, killing all 20 service members aboard.
The diplomatic communication, reported by CNN Turk, came after the Greek Air Force posted photographs of multiple C-130 aircraft on its official social media account with the caption "Photos of the Day!" The post appeared on Thursday, as Türkiye was conducting repatriation operations for victims of the November 11 crash near the Georgia-Azerbaijan border. The timing drew immediate backlash from Turkish social media users and officials, who characterized the post as inappropriate and incompatible with good neighborly relations.
The Hellenic Air Force deleted the post within minutes of the criticism and subsequently published a condolence letter from Lieutenant General Dimosthenis Grigoriadis addressed to Turkish Air Force Commander General Ziya Cemal Kadioglu.
A verbal note is a written diplomatic document exchanged between government institutions without requiring a signature. Such notes are typically used for political matters, cooperation proposals, treaty discussions, or formal notifications between states.
Greek officials defend post as unrelated to Turkish crash
Greek Defense Ministry sources told an Anadolu Agency correspondent that the controversial post had no connection to the Turkish C-130 crash. The sources claimed the images were from a Greek Air Force ceremony and were shared because they were considered appealing photographs. The post was subsequently removed to prevent misunderstandings, according to the Greek officials.
The explanation did little to quell Turkish criticism, with many social media users describing the timing as "immoral" and inconsistent with principles of good neighborly relations between the two NATO allies.
In the condolence letter posted after the controversy, the Greek Air Force chief wrote that "this terrible news has been met with enormous dismay" and expressed sympathy for the loss. "Words cannot accurately describe a tragedy like this and express my great grief and sorrow for the terrible loss of your personnel," the letter stated. "Our thoughts are with you at this very difficult time."
Turkish officials condemn post timing
Ruling AK Party Deputy Chairman Faruk Acar issued a sharp rebuke on social media, directly responding to the Hellenic Air Force's original post. "Know your limits. Otherwise we will make you know. You know this well," Acar wrote in his response.
The political reaction underscored broader sensitivities between the two countries, which have experienced periods of tension despite their alliance within NATO. The incident occurred during a particularly sensitive moment as Türkiye mourned the loss of military personnel.
Turkish officials have not publicly commented on the subsequent condolence letter or whether they consider the matter resolved following the verbal note. The Foreign Ministry typically does not disclose the contents of diplomatic communications.
Fatal C-130 crash
The Turkish C-130E cargo aircraft went down on November 11 in a mountainous region near Signagi Municipality in Georgia's Kakheti region, approximately five kilometers from the Azerbaijan border. The 20-person crew included a 10-member maintenance team that had been supporting F-16 fighter jets participating in Victory Day events in Azerbaijan.
The aircraft had departed from Kayseri at 9:02 a.m. on November 11 and landed safely in Ganja, Azerbaijan at 11:06 a.m. to transport personnel and equipment. It took off again at 1:15 p.m., bound for Merzifon's 5th Main Jet Base Command. Last radio contact occurred at 1:50 p.m. with Tbilisi Air Traffic Control, after which both radio and radar contact were lost.
Search and rescue teams from Georgia and Azerbaijan worked alongside Turkish personnel to recover all 20 bodies from the wreckage. The remains were transported to Ankara on Thursday evening aboard an A400M military cargo plane, arriving roughly an hour after departing Tbilisi International Airport at approximately 7:30 p.m. local time.
Both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been retrieved and are under examination in Ankara. The Ministry of National Defense has suspended all C-130 flights pending comprehensive technical inspections, with operations to resume only after safety reviews are completed.
The crashed plane was purchased from Saudi Arabia in 2012, underwent maintenance, and entered Türkiye's inventory in 2014. Following modernization through the Erciyes Avionics program, it entered active service in 2022, with its most recent inspection conducted between September 11 and October 12, 2025.
AA-turkiyetoday
