Turkey developed a plan to invade Greece during the height of the war in Syria, according to leaked documents. The documents also included plans to invade Armenia.
The plans that were drawn up were named after an 11th century Turkish military commander, according to , who have seen the documents.
The documents were reportedly part of a PowerPoint presentation that was set to be given by the Turkish General Staff - who preside over the Armed Forces in Turkey - for internal planning review.
Greece and Turkey are old enemies and have a long history of violence, fighting a number of wars against one-another, particularly in the early 1900s.
The plans are believed to have centred around maintaining offensive and deterrence capabilities on the western front, while moving troops during the war in Syria.
Anti-Greek rhetoric has been growing in Ankara as the Erdoğan reigeme looks to bolster its influence in the area, as fears of a military confrontation between the two NATO allies are escalating.
Pictured: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (centre) attends High Advisory Board meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on June 16, 2020
Titled 'TSK Çakabey Harekât Planlama Direktifi' - TSK (Turkish Armed Forces) Çakabey Operation Planning Directive - the presentation was dated June 13, 2014 at the height of the Syrian civil war that started in 2011 as part of the Arab Spring.
The Nordic Monitor reported that this suggests that the plan was likely an updated version and finalised after a review of an earlier draft, and that the plan could still be active.
The documents also included a plan to invade Armenia called 'TSK Altay Harekât Planlama Direktifi,' dated August 15 2000.
The Monitor reported that the documents were exchanged on a secure email system by top General Staff, and that they appear to have been leaked accidentally in a court case file that was submitted as part of probes into the failed military coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in July 2016.
Prosecutor Serdar Coşkun - said to be a Erdoğan loyalist - submitted the files as part of the investigation, and was required to hand over all emails from the General Staff from the two months preceding the coup attempted to prosecutors.
Upon realising their potential mistake, the General Staff reportedly panicked, asking the court to allow them to screen the documents before being presented.
According to The Monitor, prosecutors ignored these concerns.
However, while the plans were named in the documents, further specific details were not included. This is likely due to their classified nature, and therefore not shared through the private network.
The plans are believed to have been contingencies around developments in Syria with the aim of maintaining offensive and deterrence capabilities on the western front, while moving troops, The Monitor reported.
More recently the two countries have fought over Cyprus in the 1970s and came close to military hostilities during the Aegean dispute in 1987 and 1996 which has strongly affected the relations between Greece and Turkey since.
They share a border in the east of Greece and the west of Turkey, but also the Aegean sea.
Turkey also shares a border with Armenia in the east, on the opposite side of the country to Greece.
Armenia and Turkey also have a history of hostility, and official relations are non-existent.
A map showing the borders Turkey shares with Greece in the west and Armenia in the east.
Leaked documents showing plans to invade both Greece and Armenia have been revealed
Anti-Greek rhetoric has increased under Erdogan's reigeme, pictured on June 14 2020, during opening ceremony of the 3rd runway of istanbul escort Airport