Turkey slams Greece for granting asylum to coup soldier

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has criticised the decision of a Greek committee to grant asylum to one of the eight soldiers who fled to Greece after taking part in last year’s defeated coup in Turkey.

In a written statement released Saturday, the ministry said: "Greece, which granted asylum to one of the eight coup plotters who participated in the July 15 coup bid, has once again revealed through this decision that it is a country that protects and embraces plotters."

It also criticised Greece for not supporting or cooperating with Turkey as one would expect from an ally in the fight against terrorism and crimes.

"This decision, which we consider as politically motivated, will undoubtedly have effects on our bilateral relations with Greece and our joint regional efforts," the statement said.

According to a ruling by the third Independent Secondary Asylum Committee, Suleyman Ozkaynakci, the co-pilot of the helicopter that was used to flee Turkey, had been granted asylum on the basis that there was allegedly no proof that he participated in the coup.

The other former Turkish servicemen have not been granted asylum and are currently being held by Greek authorities until the committee makes a ruling regarding them.

TRTWorld's Hasan Abdullah has more. 

The officers landed in Alexandroupolis, Greece, hours after thousands of people came out in Turkey to confront the coup plotters on the night of July 15, 2016.

Turkish Justice Ministry has sent repeated extradition requests for the Turkish officers.

On January 26, 2017, the Greek Supreme Court decided not to extradite the officers to Turkey. Turkish Foreign Ministry called the decision “politically motivated”.

The issue was debated between the leaders of the two countries during Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Greece on December 7, 2017.