Prime Minister of Japan Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed condolences to the family of Lieutenant General Marios-Michael Turutsikas, referring to the loss that plunged the Armed Forces and especially the Air Force into mourning, stressing that “the Motherland will not forget him.”

Mr Mitsotakis in a Facebook post said:

“Shocked to learn of the crash of a fighter jet and the death of co-pilot Lt.Cpt. Mario-Michael Turucic, the search for the captain continues. This is a tragic accident while on duty in extremely difficult training conditions. Which plunges the Air Force into mourning and reminds us all how hard and dangerous is the battle that our pilots fight every day, protecting the air of our Motherland. My sincere condolences to the family of the flight commander. The Motherland will not forget him.”