by Aggelos Skordas
Ankara’s claim for the release of the eight Turkish officers was reiterated during a meeting with Greece’s Justice Minister, Stavros Kontonis and Turkish officials (headed by Deputy Minister of Justice, Bilal Ucar) visiting Athens on Tuesday. Ucar and a delegation from the Turkish Justice Ministry, who arrived in Athens on Monday, met with a Greek counterpart delegation before the ministerial-level meeting, during which the trial of the eight Turkish servicemen, who fled to Alexandroupoli following the failed coup on July 15, 2016, was also discussed.
As Kontonis said exiting the meeting, the discussion regarding the fate of the eight Turkish officers was “clear and transparent”. Furthermore, he explained that he stressed to the Turkish side that the issue of the eight can not be further discussed after Greece’s Supreme Court decision. On January 2017 the Supreme Court in Athens ruled against extraditing the eight Turkish servicemen allegedly involved in the plot to overthrow Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The two ministers also discussed the legal framework within which Turkey can act, given the fact that the eight will not be extradited following the above decision: The Turkish government “has recourse to justice, set out explicitly in the Greek Penal Code, therefore it is left to its discretion to take legal action. In terms of the extradition, this has been finalized by the ruling handed down by the Greek Supreme Court”, Kontonis explained, while clarifying that the Greek side’s position “is the one publicly supported by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras”.
“The Supreme Court’s decision does not enter into questions of indications of complicity or not for the specific people. It overrides that and focuses on something considered essential: That under the present circumstances in Turkey -this was the Supreme Court’s judgment and it is absolutely respected- these officers may not have a fair trial provided for by international rules. Therefore the decision of the Supreme Court and its content must be taken seriously by the Turkish side”, Kontonis characteristically explained.
However, the case continues to be of great concern to the Turkish side and the relations of the two countries. The Greek Justice Minister has already accepted an invitation to visit Ankara in the near future.
