Turkish President en route to Athens

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to arrive in Greece on Thursday morning as part of an official visit where he will meet with the Greek Prime Minister to discuss bilateral relations.

According to official sources, Erdogan’s schedule will include laying a wreath at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier in Athens before meeting with his counterpart, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos at the Presidential Mansion.

They will then be joined by the respective ministerial delegations of both countries after which both leaders will be making a joint press announcement.

The Turkish President’s visit has heightened security concerns in Athens following the arrest of nine Turkish nationals who had planned to attack Erdogan during his visit to Athens.

The nine nationals were arrested following a major police operation in the Athens districts of Neos Kosmos and Kallithea and are alleged members of the militant Turkish party Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP-C), which is classed as a terrorist group in the EU, US and Turkey.

All members of the group were charged with forming and joining a terrorist organisation, acquisition and possession of explosive materials and bombs as an act of terrorism, illegal possession of hand-guns, ammunition and explosives as an act of terrorism, forgery and use of fake public documents, resisting arrest, illegal weapons possession (for knives that were confiscated) and illegal possession of fire crackers and smoke canisters.