Defense Minister Akar welcomes release of Turkish soldiers by Greece

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Sept. 10 welcomed Greece’s decision to return two Turkish soldiers after they were held for crossing over to the Greek side of the border last week.

When asked to comment on Greece returning the soldiers during Afghanistan’s National Day reception in the capital Ankara, Akar said “positive and constructive attitude by the two countries gave out a good example of the neighborly relations.”

“There is an effort going on to prevent illegal crossing between two countries. During those efforts, an incident happened. After our phone conversations with Greece Defense Minister [Panos] Kammenos, our two soldiers were returned to us,” Akar said, thanking those who contributed.

Turkey’s General Staff said in a statement that the soldiers were chasing irregular migrants when they crossed the border by mistake.

The soldiers were held by Greek patrol units at 11 a.m. on Sept. 9 and were returned to Turkey at around 6.30 p.m. after the Turkish side held talks with Greek authorities, the statement said.