Erdogan expresses anger over Turkish officers, suggests Tsipras promised their return

A day after the Greek Supreme Court ruled against the extradition of eight Turkish soldiers, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made it clear that failure to return the officers would harm bilateral ties and hit out at Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

In his comments, Erdogan indicated that Tsipras had promised him that the eight officers would be returned. "The first night [after the attempted coup] I called him. He said the matter would be settled in 15 to 20 days," Erdogan said, referring to Tsipras.

The Turkish leader spoke of "terrorists" who must be tried in their country. "The delay in their return obviously undermines trust," he said, referring to bilateral ties.