by Maria Spiliopoulou
ATHENS, June 5 (Xinhua) -- Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias rejected Ankara's criticism over the release from custody of eight Turkish servicemen who had fled to Greece a day after the failed coup attempt in Turkey in July 2016, seeking political asylum here.
"Such unfounded remarks are typical of those who conduct foreign policy with their gaze fixed on domestic politics. Turkey knows we are not playing games," Kotzias said during an interview with Greek national broadcaster ERT on Monday night.
The Greek official referred to a statement allegedly made by a Turkish government spokesman who said that "Greece protects and supports coup plotters," according to AMNA, in reaction to the announcement of the release of the eight men on Monday.
"The legal detention limit of 18 months has expired. The eight servicemen, who fled Turkey after an attempted coup and applied for asylum in Greece, are living at an undisclosed location under strict police guard, for fear of abduction by Turkish authorities whose extradition requests were turned down," AMNA reported.
Ankara has repeatedly asked Greece to hand them over claiming that they had active role in the coup attempt, accusing them as traitors.
The servicemen have argued that they fled fearing for their lives and insisted they will not get a fair trial back home.
In January 2017, Greece's Supreme Court ruled against the extradition of the eight men to Turkey.
Earlier this year Greece's top administrative court also granted political asylum to one of the group, while bids for the rest are pending.
The case has further soured relations between the neighboring countries which have also decades-old territorial differences and other issues to resolve.
