Government: Two Greek officers not taken to Turkish court, probe ongoing

Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos dismissed as unconfirmed a spate of Greek press reports today that the two Greek army officers jailed in an Edirne, Turkey prison had been transported to the local courthouse.

“The report about the transport of the Greek military officers has not been confirmed by our Ambassador to Ankara or other diplomats. On the contrary, the prosecutor’s probe is ongoing, and we expect to be briefed on the charges in the near future,” Tzanakopoulos said at a televised press briefing.

The state-run Athens News Agency had previously reported that the officers had been transported to the courthouse in Edirne.

Tzanakopoulos stressed that the case of the officers is a purely bilateral issue, and that the government’s contacts with foreign leaders and international organisations regarding the issue was not intended to seek their intervention, but rather to brief them.

The spokesman said that the government had not been informed in advance of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s initiative to discuss the issue by telephone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Tzanakopoulos said the government is continuing to pursue diplomatic and political initiatives to secure the return of the two prisoners, but offered no details.

The issue will be discussed at a meeting between PM Alexis Tsipras and Defence Minister Panos Kammenos scheduled for this afternoon.

FYROM developments

Tzanakopoulos confirmed that Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias will visit Skopje on Thursday, 22 March, for talks with the government, the main opposition party, and ethnic Albanian parties, as part of the ongoing effort to reach a settlement on the FYROM naming issue.

It was also announced that UN mediator Matthew Nimetz will meet with Kotzias and FYROM Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov in Vienna on 30 March.

Tzanakopoulos noted that Kotzias has sent to Skopje a draft settlement plan and that Athens is awaiting comments and observations from FYROM.

The spokesman said that the draft plan reflects Athens’ known positions in favour of a composite name for all uses, that will apply to all parties, and “which requires a revision of the [FYROM] constitution”.

in.gr