Alternate Defence Minister Fotis Kouvelis has said that the imprisonment in Turkey of the two Greek army officers is part of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s strategy of escalating tensions with Greece.
“The arrest of the two Greek military officers and their unacceptable incarceration constitutes a political choice on the part of Turkey, and of Erdogan specifically,” Kouvelis told SKAI television.
Kouvelis said that similar incidents are usually resolved “simply with a phone call”. “Erdogan incorporated it in the scale of tension that he seeks with our country.”
“We are addressing the issue on two levels, the judicial and the political. As regards the judicial angle, we are present, and the families are cooperating with a law firm. The legal support exists, and our demand for some charge to be filed is constant. As for the political management of the affair, the issue has been raised at all political and military-political meetings,” Kouvelis said.
“By pursuing both a political intervention and the judicial process, I believe we can have the desired result. I cannot specify when that will happen,” he concluded.
