Leaders meet on sidelines of forum in China

In a bid to defuse tensions that have been rising since last September, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. Greek officials said it was a step in the right direction and that Tsipras focused on ways to improve bilateral ties. The Anadolu agency said Erdogan reiterated the demand for the extradition of the eight Turkish servicemen who fled to Greece in the aftermath of the coup attempt in Turkey last year. [Andrea Bonetti]