The eight Turkish soldiers who fled to Greece and sought asylum on Saturday have appeared in court in Alexandroupoli. They deny taking part in the failed coup attempt.
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The eight Turkish soldiers who fled to Greece and sought asylum on Saturday received a two month suspended sentence for entering the country illegally.The soldiers deny taking part in the failed coup attempt and claim they left Turkey for fear of mass-detention. Turkey’s extradition request and the soldier’s asylum claims are ongoing.
As The Turkish Ambassador to Greece Kerim Uras earlier warned, this could complicate relations between the two countries:
“If it’s completed swiftly and in a positive manner, if they are returned as soon as possible, this can really turn into a very positive thing in our bilateral relations. If it’s not, I would be quite concerned as an ambassador. And I must say this, that it would not help at all, and the public opinion’s sentiments might be a bit unhealthy.”
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This is the state of Turkish soldiers after the coup attempt failedhttps://t.co/RIxEr05VfE pic.twitter.com/GrXEFetfPp
— India Today (@IndiaToday) July 20, 2016
Diplomatic tight-rope
The Turkish Ambassador to Greece Kerim Uras outlined the possible future state of diplomatic relations, saying: “If it’s completed swiftly and in a positive manner, if they are returned as soon as possible, this can really turn into a very positive thing in our bilateral relations. If it’s not, I would be quite concerned as an ambassador. And I must say this, that it would not help at all, and the public opinion’s sentiments might be a bit unhealthy.”
Not returning Turkish soldiers will not help relations with Greece: Turkish ambassador https://t.co/Y3fmfeDESE pic.twitter.com/lzTSBgS75Y
— Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) July 19, 2016
Greece has intensified its border security to avoid further illegal entries.
To protect diplomatic relations with Turkey, extradition is likely Greece’s easiest option. However, talk of Turkey reintroducing the death penalty could complicate extradition procedures.The suspended sentences will give the soldiers some breathing space to prepare their asylum claim from Greece.
Turkish helicopter hijacked by coup soldiers returned by Greece https://t.co/W2LecrGix2 pic.twitter.com/PxL23F1tLk
— Hürriyet Daily News (@HDNER) July 17, 2016