A Turkish court has ruled to keep in custody two Greek soldiers who were detained in Turkey in March, in a case which has escalated tensions between the two neighboring NATO allies.
Greece says the soldiers crossed into Turkey by mistake while following the trail of suspected illegal migrants. Turkish courts have ordered their detention pending trial on suspicion of illegal entry and attempted military espionage.
The court decision comes a few days after Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan met in Brussels, on the sidelines of a NATO summit, and agreed to focus on efforts to reduce tensions in the Aegean.
The Turkish court in Edirne, a northwestern province bordering Greece and Bulgaria and where the two soldiers were detained, held its monthly hearing on whether to release the soldiers from custody, Hurriyet reported on its website.
The judge ruled against the soldiers' request to be freed, it said. The two soldiers have not yet been indicted.
Court officials contacted by Reuters declined to comment on the case.
Eight Turkish putschist commandos are seeking asylum in Greece after commandeering a helicopter to flee Turkey as a coup a coup bid by the Fetullah Terror Organization (FETÖ) failed on July 15, 2016.
Turkey says they were involved in the abortive putsch and demands they be returned to face trial but Greek courts have so far rejected Ankara’s requests.
