Turkey adopts tougher stance on management of border incidents

Turkey adopted a tougher stance on the management of minor incidents on its border with Greece in the same month that authorities there arrested two Greek soldiers for accidentally crossing the border during a patrol.

In a document published by Greece’s Ta Nea daily on Thursday, it appears that regiment commanders at Turkey’s borders are no longer authorized to deal with any minor incidents directly with their Greek counterparts, as was the case in the past.

The document, which the paper claims was drafted by Turkish authorities, states that the Turkish commander had relayed to his superiors on March 17 a request for discussion via a soldier by his Greek counterpart at Evros, apparently regarding the arrest on March 1 of Lieutenant Angelos Mitretodis, 25, and Sergeant Dimitris Kouklatzis, 27, who remain in custody at Edirne.

“Turkish soldiers… are not authorized allowed to contact in other officials from other countries directly,” reads the document, which is in English and appears to explain why the Greek commander’s efforts to seek the release of the two Greek soldiers failed.