Turkey to Greece: Act like a neighbor

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has sent a letter to his Greek counterpart Aleksis Tsipras to convey Ankara's disappointment at the court decision rejecting the extradition of eight Turkish soldiers, calling on the Greek government to "act like a neighbor" and renewing his government's demand. 

"The refusal to extradite coup plotters is a frustration for us. I have sent a letter to Mr. Tsipras about it. I have again expressed our expectation for the extradition of these people by reviewing this verdict within the boundaries of the law," Yıldırım told reporters in Ankara on Feb. 2, adding that he sent the letter quite recently and had yet to receive any reply. 

Tension in the Aegean Sea has flared once again after a Greek court denied the extradition of eight Turkish troops who escaped to Greece during July 2016 coup attempt in a military helicopter. After the ruling, Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar and all force commanders paid a surprise visit to Kardak islets in the Aegean on the 21st anniversary of the crisis that brought the two neighbors to the brink over a war over the disputed sovereignty of the islet. 

Yıldırım called on Athens to hand over the troops to Turkey "just as other neighbors have already done." 

He said Turkey and Greece as two neighbors should always try to get along well, as they cannot change their geography, stressing that Turkey has no intention to break its ties with its Aegean neighbor. 

"We are replying to some exaggerated [moves] and provocations coming from the other side of the [Aegean] by smiling. They should not misread it," Yıldırım added. 
  
Recalling Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos' visit to the rocky islets in the Aegean, where he posed for photographs,...