Greece and Turkey pledge to strengthen cooperation on the sector of security
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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Tuesday that coup suspects are “not welcome” in Greece, but the case regarding eight Turkish servicemen who fled the country after a failed 2016 coup attempt on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a judiciary matter.
“On the thorny issue of the eight soldiers, Greece respects the decisions delivered by the judiciary,” Tsipras said in Ankara after meeting with Erdogan.
“Coup plotters are not welcome in Greece, however what is more important is to strengthen our cooperation on the sector of security.”
The soldiers, who fled to Greece seeking asylum, have been a source of tension between the two Aegean Sea neighbors in recent years. But Tsipras said Greece and Turkey have agreed to deescalate tensions and initiate confidence building measures.
“I am very pleased that communication channels (with Turkey) are open so that we can take more constructive steps,” said Tsipras, adding that any differences between the two “can and must be solved with dialogue.”
Erdogan echoed Tsipras’ sentiments, saying disputes between Greece and Turkey could be resolved “peacefully.”
“We believe every problem could be resolved through dialogue,” Erdogan said, adding that Turkey expects “more cooperation from our neighbour Greece” over the extradition of coup suspects.
