Tsipras tells NATO detention of Greek soldiers ‘an open wound’ for Alliance
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras raised the issue of the detention of the two Greek servicemen who have been imprisoned in Turkey since early March during his address at the NATO summit in Brussels on Wednesday, calling it “an open wound” for the Alliance.
“The unprecedented fact that two NATO soldiers have been detained by another NATO country for more than 4 months because they accidentally crossed into its territory, without even being charged, is an open wound for NATO,” he told NATO leaders, and called on Turkey to “heal the wound with the immediate return of the two soldiers.”
Tsipras also commented on Turkey's "provocative actions" in the Aegean, saying the violation of international law in the region and its efforts to exclude the Aegean from operational plans constitutes “a permanent wound for the Alliance.”
He stressed Greece's stabilizing role in the region, noting the improvement of relations with the country's northern neighbors, such as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, which, under specific conditions, will ensure their entry into NATO.
