Ruling next week on gov't bid to halt asylum for Turkish soldier

A ruling by the Athens administrative appeals court on whether the approve a request by the government to block a tribunal's decision to grant asylum to one of eight Turkish servicemen who fled to Greece after the failed Turkish coup in 2016 is expected next week, probably on Monday.

According to sources, during a 40-minute hearing on Monday, the lawyers representing the Greek state in the case maintained that the decision to grant asylum to the Turkish soldier should be halted for reasons of national interest as, they claimed, such a move could shake bilateral relations.

Justice Minister Stavros Kontonis noted that the Migration Policy Minister had "certain objections" and had therefore called for the tribunal's decision to be "frozen" until a court ruling resolves the issue.

He noted that a similar delay would likely have occurred had the decision by the...