Turkey-Greece tensions escalate over extradition of soldiers

Ankara argues that the men were involved in the coup

ANKARA: Turkey and Greece, two NATO neighbours, have seen their relations soured over extradition of Turkish soldiers who fled to Greece after the coup attempt in Turkey and the thorny issue of Cyprus.

A Greek court on Friday rejected a new request from Turkey for the extradition of eight Turkish servicemen who fled to Greece in July 2016 after a failed coup.

The Athens appeals court ruled that the men would not get a fair trial in Turkey and would face inhumane treatment there if extradited.

Turkey argues that the men were involved in the coup, which they denied.

Greek courts have rejected two previous Turkish demands for the extradition of the eight, who flew to Greece in a military helicopter the day after the coup.



The Athens court's latest rule said most of the accusations already were rejected during hearings of the previous requests. It also found that additional charges that the men belonged to an armed terrorist group and were involved in attempted murders had no solid grounding.

"A third rejection of extradition signifies a new addition to the existing bilateral contentions," said Birgul Demirtas from the Ankara's University of Economics and Technology.

Demirtas, an expert on international relations, argued that Greece's attitude was a reflection of "mutual distrust."

The two sides have sparred at top level over the fate of the eight, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan complaining that Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras broke a personal assurance to him that they would be returned.

Matters were further complicated by the March 1 arrest of two Greek army officers on the Turkish side of the two countries' land border.

Greece said the men accidentally strayed across the ill-defined border due to bad weather, asserting that their return would be a "pure formality."

The NATO allies are regional rivals that have come to the brink of war three times since 1974 over the issue of Cyprus and Aegean Sea territorial rights.

The delineation of the Aegean Sea continental shelf and the delimitation of territorial waters are among the confrontation points between the two countries.

They also have dispute regarding airspace and minority rights.

The Turkish president has spoken of revising the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which delineates the Turkish-Greek border and is a cornerstone of the two countries' peace.



The two countries came to the brink of war in 1996 as they both claimed sovereignty over inhabited islets of the Aegean and only a US intervention averted a possible armed confrontation.

They have since 1999 engaged in "exploratory talks" and warmed their relations, but none of them has yet been resolved or is expected to be resolved anytime soon.

"We have made progress on several issues but there is still a long way to go," a Turkish diplomatic source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity, pointing out that dialogue is beneficial for the interests of both countries.

"We are neighbours and we cooperate on many fields and we want to go on to do so. Unfortunately, some issues are hampering the mood of our cooperation," he said, implying to Athens refusal to hand over suspected coup plotter soldiers to Turkey.

The Cyprus issue, which remains unsolved since nearly five decades ago despite many United Nations-led efforts, is also and will continue to be an important friction point between Ankara and Athens.

Last month, Turkish warships blocked a rig from reaching an area southeast of Cyprus where Italian company Eni was scheduled to drill.



Turkey's government said it would prevent any further drilling off Cyprus without the direct involvement of the ethnically divided island's breakaway Turkish Cypriots.

The island was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded in response to a coup by supporters of union with Greece. A Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence is recognized only by Turkey.

"The Greek Cypriot side's (internationally recognised) efforts to use hydrocarbon resources in Eastern Mediterranean without a resolution of the Cyprus issue is hampering the potential of a possible solution on the island," said Demirtas, explaining that the "ineffectiveness" of the UN and the European Union, to which the Republic of Cyprus is a member, was also to blame for this situation.

Cyprus' government said the hydrocarbon search is its sovereign right, and it will continue to benefit all Cypriot citizens, insisting that proceeds will be divided equally after a future deal.

Some specialists have called on Ankara to refrain from overacting on the issue.

"Turkey should be very cautious to not to overreact to Greek Cypriot provocations in the Eastern Mediterranean and should avoid the use of military means against civilian explorations vessels," Hurriyet Daily News Ankara representative Serkan Demirtas said.

"A repeat of such actions would further deteriorate Turkey's already fragile bonds with the West, particularly ahead of a key summit between Ankara and Brussels in late March and amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to mend ties with Washington," he added.

Turkey and the EU have planned to meet for a summit in the Black Sea port city of Varna, Bulgaria on March 26 for what is expected to be a reconciliation after a series of mutual verbal attacks in the wake of the botched coup in Turley and the major crackdown that followed.

It is obvious that nationalistic feelings are running high on both the Greek and Turkish sides. Right-wing Greek groups burned the Turkish flag in a demonstration. Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Erdogan, likened the act to a hate crime and demanded the arrest of the Greek protesters.