Tsipras, Erdogan talks 'not easy'

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Thursday after talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that it "wasn't the easiest of meetings" and that he raised the issue of the two Greek soldiers held without charge in the neighboring country since March.

"We have more hope than before the meeting," he said during a press conference in Brussels, but he made no reference to any commitment by Turkey on the matter.

Tsipras said that Greece is not asking for a favor but that judicial procedures in Turkey be expedited as the two soldiers have not been charged since they were arrested after crossing the Turkish border during a routine patrol.

The Greek premier said that, in response, Erdogan raised the issue of the eight Turkish servicemen who Ankara wants extradited for their alleged role in the coup attempt in 2016.

Tsipras told reporters he had emphasized...