Greek president urges release of soldiers detained in Turkey

Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos has once more urged Turkey to release the two Greek border guards – a lieutenant and sergeant – who have been detained since accidentally straying across the heavily defended frontier while on patrol.

Speaking during a visit to Monemvasia, in the southern Peloponnese, on Monday on the anniversary of the area’s liberation from Ottoman rule, Pavlopoulos said that the ongoing detention of the two soldiers, who have been held since early March without official charges brought against them, is a violation of democratic values and fundamental human rights.

The Greek president said that Turkey’s European Union membership ambitions and good neighborly relations depend on respect for international law and the EU’s acquis communautaire.

He stressed that Greece wants to build a “sincere friendship” and “good neighborly ties” with Turkey.