Were the Greek arrested soldiers taken before Turkish court, or not?

Second Lieutenant Mitretoudis and Sargeant Kouklatzis were arrested after being charged with illegal enrty into a forbidden military zone in Turkey, while their mobiles were sent to the Police HQ in Ankara to be scanned for possible espionage. Until the trial was set, the two soldiers remained in a maximum security prison in Adrianople.

The Greek government spokesperson, Dimitris Tzanakopoulos, however, denied reports that the two Greek servicemen being held in a Turkish prison in Adrianople were taken to Court on Tuesday.

During his press briefing, Mr Tzanakopoulos told reporters that the investigations were ongoing and that the Greek side was awaiting the charges against the Greek soldiers. He stressed the issue was a bilateral one, adding that Greece had not requested any third party to intervene on the matter. He pointed out that the development of the issue depended on the handling of the Turkish legal system.

Responding to a question on whether Greek PM Alexis Tsipras was considering calling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the spokesperson ruled such a prospect out for now. “At this point, such a thing is not on the agenda. Diplomatic moves will continue regarding the matter”, he told reporters.