Greek Soldiers Remain in Jail After Turkish Court Ruling

Despite endless pleas and calls from the Greek officials as well as a group of mothers, who launched an initiative in Greece to demand the release of the two Greek soldiers jailed pending trial in western Turkey, the Turkish court on Tuesday ruled to keep the soldiers in prison.

In a new hearing on Tuesday, the court refused to release the Greek soldiers who inadvertently strayed into the Turkish territory in March. They were immediately arrested by the Turkish border troops.

Turkish prosecutors charged them with espionage. The Greek government and the soldiers refuse the charges and demand their release.

The latest court decision came after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met on the sidelines of NATO summit in Brussels last week. Both leaders pledged to work diligently to reduce the tension in the Aegean Sea and resolve disputes in a peaceful manner amid occasional flare-ups recently.

The issue has become a source of ensuing friction between the two neighbors.

Separately, a group of Greek mothers initiated a campaign in a bid to secure the release of soldiers. Members of the “Greek Mothers” group held a demonstration outside the Turkish Consulate in Thessaloniki on July 9, the Greek Ekathimerini daily reported.

Two Soldiers Between Clashing Rocks of Greek and Turkish Politics