A Turkish helicopter with seven people on board landed in Alexandroupolis in north-eastern Greece close to borders with Turkey, on Saturday morning. According to preliminary information the helicopter sent out a distress signal at 11:45 am citing problems in the engine. It landed in Alexandroupolis airport at 11:51.
Passengers are reportedly seven people in uniform and one civilian.
The helicopter is a Sikorsky BlackHawk and belongs to Turkish police.
According to military affairs website OnAlert.gr and state broadcaster ERT, the passengers are most likely coup-attempters who fled Turkey to escape arrest, after the government cracked down the Coup attempts.
Police vehicles have rushed to the airport, a pair of F-16 fighter jets have been flying over the area for support.
UPDATE 1: ERT TV reports that the passengers belong to Turkish military and have been arrested by Greek police as they illegally entered Greece. They asked for asylum.
Turkish military… Police helicopter… this could be Jandarmerie?
UPDATE 2: ERT TV: 7 helicopter passengers wearing uniforms had removed uniform insignia. It looks as if they were involved in the coup.
UPDATE 3:
Turkey has asked the return of the helicopter, a request currently examined by the Greek General Staff. Most probably the helicopter will be returned as soon as possible.
According to latest ERT TV information, “the helicopter belongs to Turkish Air Force” and not to Police as initially reported.
Greek authorities from Interior and Foreign Ministry are about to examine the passengers’ request for asylum.
The passengers are reportedly “3 majors, 3 captains and 2 sergeants.”
They have been arrested upon landing for “illegally entering Greece.”
Logically and diplomatically, the 8 will stand trial for illegally entering Greece and will be sent back to Turkey together with the helicopter. Or the helicopter will return earlier. Or something like that.
Their asylum will be rejected on the ground that they lied in order to land at Alexandroupolis airport as they sent “mayday”, while they were involved in actions aiming to topple an elected government.
I don’t think that Greece would like to be involved into “Turkey’s internal issues.”
If they reject it than they are just a bunch of scary cats. These people (even if the where in a coup) asked for asylum, because they know whats going to happen to them in Turkey. If they arent granted asylum and they will be executed the blood will be on Tsipras his hands,but probebly he wont care because he doesnt care about anybody else except himself!
If this was a set-up then these soldiers or policemen are Erdogun’s Trojan Horse to attack Greece, so better send’em for skateboarding to Guantanamo to find out what’s in their heads?
if Greece cannot grant asylum to Turks, then this proves definitively that Greece is incapable of upholding the rule of law. You may as well just close Greece and hand the land back to Turkey, or perhaps you prefer to give it to Germany.
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Frankly, if Greek governments cannot defend the Greek people and the Greek territory, then the 1821 revolution was a waste of time. Just take your instructions from foreigners with money, and stop pretending that there is a country called Ellas.
“if Greece cannot grant asylum to Turks, then this proves definitively that Greece is incapable of upholding the rule of law” – really?
It is the duty of every state to uphold the 1951 UN convention, and in Europe the European convention on human rights and EU law on asylum. Although there is a superficial legal argument that Syrians returned to Turkey will get some protection, this cannot be the case with those who are Turkish seeking protection from Turkey.
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Of course, it would damage relations with Turkey — just as Turkish-US relations are very bad over Erdogan’s outrageous demands to extradite a Turkish political opponent to Turkey. Basically, Turkey is not a democratic or safe country and Europe should have nothing to do with until Erdogan is removed and independent state institutions established. Any EU country that returns Turks to Turkey is refusing to uphold international and EU law.
Frankly, if Greek governments cannot defend the Greek people and the Greek territory, then the 1821 revolution was a waste of time. Just take your instructions from foreigners with money, and stop pretending that there is a country called Ellas.
First of all i am pro granting them asylum, but i dont know what this has to do with granting 8 Turks asylum. Maybe you couldt explain it?
If you are asking me why it matters that they are Turks, it is because Greece is supposed to be the result of a revolution in 1821 that fought to escape the domination of the Turks. Greece has been an EU member since 1981, and has the legal duty to uphold all EU laws as well as international laws. Turkey does not have the legal duty to uphold much at all, and with Erdogan has moved away from a progression to human rights and towards a caliphate.
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Obviously, Greece should not support a country that has little respect for human rights. For historical reasons, it should be even more careful about supporting Turkish politicians. Yet Tsipras is photographed shaking hands with Erdogan and promising to send all of his rebels back to Turkey to face death and torture. (This is not an exaggeration). It matters very much that the asylum-seekers are Turks, since there is nobody to protect them from this disgusting Erdogan.