Kammenos to brief NATO counterparts on Bozdag remarks

Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos has said he plans to brief his counterparts during a meeting of NATO defense ministers Thursday on the controversial remarks made by Turkey’s deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag regarding the eight army officers released from pretrial detention on Monday.

Kammenos said Bekir’s comments would allow Greece “to demonstrate in the most simple manner how Turkey violates international law, international treaties, and [how it] tries to torpedo efforts at peaceful coexistence in the region.”

“It is our duty to find these ‘putschist’ soldiers wherever they are, pack them up and bring them to Turkey,” Bozdag, said late Monday after slamming Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras for failing to hand the soldiers over to Ankara after they flew into Greek airspace following a failed coup in fellow NATO member Turkey in the summer of 2016.