Defense Minister rants against Turkey, auguring fifteen years in prison for Greek servicemen in Turkish jails

"I think they were preplanned to capture them because when we've had so many incidents in recent years and they release them in 5 minutes, and now they took them and they transferred them, and while we activated all the channels of communication, they turned them down, such was the task. [they took them] to the Midnight Express, and threw them into their prisons, they constantly posed accusations, nothing works democratically," he said speaking to parliamentary reporters in the House.

In fact, Panos Kammenos estimated that the imprisonment of the two Greek soldiers in Turkish prisons could last for a long time and he even said for 15 years.
"In a country where there are no courts and justice works by the sultan's orders, this pending issue may last for 15 years," he said.

The Minister of Defense spoke sharply about Tayyip Erdogan as well:
"The man has completely gone crazy> Who can one communicate with, he accuses Netanyahu, then the Americans. He made a statement against Netanyahu, you can't reason with the madman."

Mr Kammenos was asked about Erdogan's allegations that Alexis Tsipras had promised him the return to Turkey of the eight Turkish officers that requested asylum after the failed coup.
"Is Erdogan a reliable interlocutor? Would Tsipras ever promise to Erdogan that he would release the eight? He told him that we would see on a judicial basis. At first we showed good will and we returned the helicopter the next day. The eight are claiming asylum in Greece, asking for protection from Turkey. The two who are detained against their wills is a different thing from the others who have come here and are seeking asylum for protection from a judiciary that accuses people of being against the regime without them being ".

The Minister of Defense was asked about the risk of a "hot" incident with Turkey.

"There is tension, but the situation in the Turkish armed forces is desperate, 60% of its personnel are out of the military, the situation in Afrin is not as well as expected. We must be ready. Someone who is accustomed to receiving corpses and does not care about it, may at some point do something.
I do not reassure the Greek people at all, we are serious, we are determined, but we will not rise to the bait in an attempt to create an episode. But if they violate our national sovereignty we will respond as we should. But we will not play a game of tension as they want to create it, but without falling back from our national positions. "

The Minister of Defense was also asked about the possibility after the country's exit from the memorandum that the "political marriage" of SYRIZA-ANEL may break up. He replied by holding beside him SYRIZA's parliamentary representative, Nikos Xydakis:

"Do not try to draw conclusions about weddings and marriages, Xydakis and I are so beloved that nothing separates us."

In a question from journalists about the constant opposition statements made by the ANEL deputy chairman Dimitris Kammenos, the defense minister responded:

"So why do you take him for "walks" every day?"

The rather rambling responses of the Defense minister (in case you thought it was translational problems) were picked on by main opposition New Democracy which in a statement by 'sources' mentioned:

""Mr. Kammenos's delirium is unworthy of comment. He is also unworthy of the position of the Minister of National Defense."