Minister says nobody knows when detained Greek soldiers will be freed

Greece’s Alternate Defense Minister Fotis Kouvelis said on Thursday nobody can really say when the two Greek servicemen who have been detained in Turkey since early March will be released from prison.

“Nobody can be specific about when the two soldiers detained in the high security prison of Edirne will be released,” he told lawmakers during a debate in a parliamentary committee.

Kouvelis reportedly said their imprisonment is part of an "unacceptable nationalist tactic" employed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the run-up to the country's elections.

He also said Ankara will continue to stoke tension with Greece. 

The two servicemen have been detained since March 2 after they accidentally crossed into Turkish territory during a border patrol.