Turkey protests Greek rejection of extradition of eight fugitive troops

ANKARA

Turkish Foreign Ministry is seen in this file photo.

Turkey has condemned a Greek court’s rejection of its demand to extradite eight fugitive troops accused of involvement in last year’s failed coup attempt, vowing to evaluate the impact of the decision on different aspects of bilateral ties between the two countries. 

“We protest this verdict, which prevents these people from standing before independent Turkish justice. [The soldiers] actively participated in the coup attempt targeting the democratic order in Turkey and the life of our president, martyring 248 of our citizens and wounding 2,193,” read the written statement issued by the Foreign Ministry on Jan. 26. 

It added that the decision is “another indication” of Greece’s reluctance to fight against terror organizations like the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) that target Turkey. 

The statement also described the verdict as a “violation of international legal norms and principles,” accusing Greece of protecting the coup plotters. 

“Our initiatives for the extradition and prosecution of these criminals will continue through all legal means,” it said, urging that this “politically-motivated decision” would lead to a “comprehensive evaluation of bilateral ties,” cooperation in the fight against terror, and other regional and bilateral issues.