Cavusoglu: Tsipras was forced by EU not to return 8 servicemen

In comments about the case of the eight Turkish serviceman seeking asylum in Greece, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Friday indicated that Athens had come under pressure from European leaders not to extradite the men.

In an interview to TRT Haber, Cavusoglu said he believed Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had been honest about intending to hand over the servicemen to Ankara — which Turkish officials say Tsipras promised to do — but came under pressure to shift position.

He said he had expected a different stance from the Greek government.

The Cyprus problem and the delineation of the continental shelf are among the issues that remain pending between Greece and Turkey, he said, adding that talks were continuing between the two sides to resolve them.