32 Turks, reportedly Erdogan’s opponents, rescued in Aegean Sea
Thirty-two Turkish citizens, reportedly opponents of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government, have been rescued in the Aegean Sea while trying to reach Greece from Turkey, the Greek coast guard says.
The coast guard said Saturday that the group was spotted in a rubber dinghy off the Greek island of Oinousses, overnight Thursday to Friday.
According to Greek media, the 32 Turks are opponents of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and would be seeking asylum in Greece. Greek authorities are yet to confirm the reports.
The group was taken to the island of Chios, where refugees crossing the area, often from Turkey, are registered and identified.
Relations between Turkey and Greece were strained in May after a Greek court ruled not to extradite eight Turkish soldiers who had fled to Greece following last year’s failed coup.
Last month, Erdogan made the first visit by a Turkish head of state to the Aegean country in 65 years, saying Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had promised to return the individuals to Turkey in 15-20 days.
Ankara says the men, who fled to Greece in a military helicopter as the mid-July 2016 coup unfolded, had been involved in efforts to overthrow Erdogan and has repeatedly demanded their extradition.
Greek courts have so far blocked two extradition requests by Ankara, drawing an angry rebuke from Turkey and highlighting the tense relations between the countries, which also remain at odds over territorial disputes regarding the ethnically-split Cyprus.
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