US ambassador says hopes for resolution on Greek soldiers held in Turkey
US Ambassador in Athens Geoffrey Pyatt on Tuesday said that the United States is “fully engaged” over the issue of two Greek soldiers who are in custody in Turkey after being arrested earlier this month for accidentally crossing the border.
Pyatt expressed the United States’ support for Greek efforts to maintain communication with Turkish authorities and hopes that the issue, which has been causing additional tension between the two NATO allies, will be resolved soon.
Pyatt was speaking at the Andravida air base in the northwestern Peloponnese during the annual multinational Iniohos 2018 exercise, where he was joined by his counterparts from the UK, Kate Smith, and Israel, Irit Ben-Abba.
His comments came after briefing Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos and Hellenic Air Force chief Christos Christodoulou, on the US’s role in the exercise and the “importance of Greece's leadership in bringing countries from across Europe and wider region for #Iniohos2018 in pursuit of shared defense goals and regional peace,” Pyatt said on Twitter.
