The two Greek officers who were being held in a high security prison in Edirne for 167 days, have finally been released, Anadolu agency reported yesterday.
Lieutenant Angelos Mitretodis and Sergeant Dimitris Kouklatzis had been detained in Turkey since early March when they accidentally crossed the border due to bad weather.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the men were conditionally released but there are no measures restricting them from returning to Greece.
According to the court that examined the case and the numerous requests for the officers’ release there are no reasons to keep them behind bars, as no official charges had been filed since their arrest. In previous instances where military had accidentally strayed over borders the issue had been resolved within hours without reaching national policy proportions.
The men are now pending trial and they could face charges carrying up to a two-year sentence if found guilty.
“This is an act of justice which will contribute in boosting friendship, good neighbourly relations and stability in the region,” Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras tweeted following the release of the servicemen.
“I would like to congratulate and thank our two officers and their families for their courage, patience and confidence in our efforts, which were ultimately vindicated,” he added.
Meanwhile, Greece announced the suspension of confidence-building activities with Turkey for the remainder of the year. This includes sporting and cultural activities as well as the exchange of military academy graduates.
In response to the suspension, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Greece of escalating tensions in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas during his address at the 10th annual Ambassadors’ Conference in Ankara.
“In their difficult days, we are always at their side. But in the Aegean and the Mediterranean, they are again increasing tension. They do bizarre things which are not acceptable. Don’t we all want the Eastern Mediterranean to become a region of peace and prosperity?” he stressed.
“In order to reach a solution in Cyprus, a new process must be launched. Greek Cypriots do not want to cooperate. And this we saw last year. We saw it in Geneva, we saw it in Crans-Montana,” Cavusoglu said. And “Greece is no different.”
Following a series of provocations from Ankara, The Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), has successfully led the effort to halt the US transfer of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey “an increasingly unstable and unreliable Turkish government”.
“The language included in the NDAA barring the transfer of F-35s to Turkey is but the first step in a long-overdue reassessment of the US-Turkey relationship,” said HALC Executive Director Endy Zemenides.
“For far too long, Turkey has acted with impunity in the region, threatening America’s allies, violating international law, and undermining regional security,” he said.