Greece not seeking swap of soldiers with Turkey
Greek authorities have denied they have any plans to exchange eight Turkish soldiers wanted on suspicion of involvement in a failed coup in Turkey with two Greek soldiers arrested recently.
Junior Foreign Minister Yiorgos Katrougalos said on Saturday that reports in Turkish media that Athens would be ready to have its soldiers, arrested on the border inside Turkish territory, in return for extradition of the eight Turkish servicemen, were “spy stories.”
“This is pure fantasy. We are not at war with Turkey to conduct an exchange of prisoners,” said Katrougalos, adding, “This is not an unusual episode. Such incidents occur on the border.”
Turkey has repeatedly called on Greece to hand over the eight Turkish soldiers, who fled on the night of the failed coup of July 15, 2016 out of prosecution fears. Greece defends its refusal to extradite the soldiers, saying they might face unfair trial back at home.
The dispute, one among the list of issues that Ankara and Athens disagree on, drew fresh attention after the arrest of the two Greek soldiers by a Turkish border patrol on Thursday. The Greek army denied the two had been spying in the Turkish territory, as claimed by some authorities, and said that poor weather caused them to lose their way while patrolling the area around the Evros river that separates Turkey and Greece.
Turkish state agency Anadolu said the pair, a lieutenant and a sergeant, now held at Edirne, will be put on trial on Monday on charges that include illegal entry in a restricted area and attempted military espionage.
Dimitris Tzanakopoulos, a Greek government spokesman, said on Friday that Athens was expecting a swift return of the two, adding the case was only a matter of “illegal entry.”
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