The arrest of two Greek soldiers patrolling the Greek-Turkish border is an issue of concern for the European Union also, Defense Minister Panos Kammenos said on Tuesday. The Greek Defense Minister is currently in Brussels for an EU foreign affairs and defense ministers’ council.
Noting that his communication with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini on Tuesday, Kammenos said that he would raise the issue that Turkey had detained two Greek soldiers, who were also soldiers of the European Union, in a maximum security prison in Turkey during the European defence ministers’ meeting.
He underlined that the arrest of the two Greek soldiers in Turkey, in a border incident that would normally be resolved through negotiations between the military commanders on either side of the border, has become a major issue due to the Turkish prosecutor’s refusal to accept the Greek side’s request that the two servicemen be allowed to stay at the Greek consulate in Turkey until their trial.
Kammenos is to brief on the issue also the deputy Secretary General of NATO.
The two Greek soldiers remain in the high security prison of Edirne (Adrianoupolis) on Tuesday, after A Turkish court rejected their lawyers’ appeal for immediate release. The Greek side has offered their trasnfer to the Greek Consulate in the city.
By Tuesday noon, the Turkish prosecutor had not completed the indictment yet. Despite initial hopes that issue could be solved as soon as possible, Ankara seems to try to politically exploit the situation. Under specific circumstance, the two Greek soldiers could remain in custody several months.
