Ankara's decision follows a decision by a Greek court to release eight soldiers suspected of being involved in the July 2016 coup attempt
ADVERTISEMENTTurkey has announced it is scrapping the deal it had with Greece to readmit migrants. The announcement by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu follows a Greek court's decision to release eight former Turkish soldiers suspected to have been involved in the July 2016 coup attempt.
We have a migrant agreement with the European Union. This is in force. What does this cover? It covers the refugees who travel from Turkey to five Greek islands" explained Cavusoglu.
"But we also have a bilateral readmission agreement with Greece. We have suspended that deal. Of course, following the latest court decision, this process is not yet over but we will be considering more steps against Greece," he added.
The eight soldiers had crossed the border into Greece on a helicopter the day after the failed coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan asking for asylum. Although initially a Greek court ruled they could be extradited back to Turkey, the supreme court later overturned the decision. They were freed on Monday pending a ruling on their applications and live under secret identities with heavy police protection.