Turkey has condemned Greece’s air force for sharing photos of C-130 cargo planes on social media just two days after a Turkish military C-130 crashed in Georgia, killing all 20 people on board.
The Hellenic Air Force posted the images on X on November 13 under the title “Photos of the Day,” prompting widespread criticism in Turkey. The post was later deleted and replaced with a condolence message sent by Lt. Gen. Dimosthenis Grigoriadis, head of the Greek air force’s general staff, to his Turkish counterpart, Air Force Commander Gen. Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu.
Ömer Çelik, spokesperson for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), said the original post was “a disgraceful message devoid of all human and military values,” calling on Athens to take disciplinary action.
“We curse the Hellenic Air Force’s sharing of a C-130 cargo plane photo targeting our martyrs,” Çelik said on X. “Removing it and posting a message of condolence was the right approach. … We expect those responsible for that ugly message to face the necessary consequences.”
Yunanistan Hava Kuvvetleri’nin C130 kargo uçağı fotoğrafı paylaşarak şehitlerimize dönük insani ve askeri tüm değerlerden yoksun çirkin bir mesaj paylaşmasını lanetliyoruz.
Bu mesajın kaldırılıp yerine şehitlerimizle ilgili taziye mesajı konulması doğru bir yaklaşım olmuştur.…
— Ömer Çelik (@omerrcelik) November 14, 2025
The plane took off from Ganja Airport in western Azerbaijan on November 11 but crashed shortly after crossing the border into eastern Georgia, the defense ministry said at the time.
Investigators recovered the aircraft’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders, which were sent to Ankara for analysis. The ministry said the plane, purchased from Saudi Arabia in 2012 and modernized before entering service in 2022, had undergone regular maintenance and was carrying no ammunition at the time of the crash.
The Azerbaijani Report news agency said that among those on board were maintenance specialists for F-16 fighter jets that had taken part in Saturday’s military parade in Baku, when Azerbaijan celebrated Victory Day — marking its triumph in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The event was attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, his foreign and defense ministers and his intelligence chief.
The defense ministry suspended flights by all C-130 aircraft on November 12 pending detailed technical inspections and safety checks.
