Turkey must clarify why it is holding the two Greek soldiers, Tzanakopoulos says
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The Greek government is asking Turkey to immediately state its reasons for holding the two Greek soldiers currently imprisoned in a Turkish jail and not allowing them to go home, government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said during a press briefing on Friday.
“What is the reason why, after nearly a month, we do not even know the charges [against them] and for what reason is [Turkey] opting for this tactic of delay, which does nothing for the normalisation of our relations and a good neighbour relationship with the Turks,” he said.
The spokesman expressed the Greek government’s satisfaction with the results of the EU-Turkey summit in Varna, noting that there was a clearly united EU stance against Turkish provocations in the Aegean and Cyprus’ EEZ and “an equally decisive message that these provocations must immediately cease.”
The two-man Greek border patrol was apprehended by Turkish forces in early March after, according to the Greek soldiers’ account, having accidentally strayed across the borderline while tracking suspected migrants in poor weather conditions. The two soldiers are being held in a maximum security prison in Edirne and petitions for their release have been repeatedly denied but have yet to be charged.
Tzanakopoulos: foreign investments now reaching record levels
The level of foreign investments reached a record for the decade at nearly 4.0 billion euros in 2017, while the trend looked set to continue in 2018 also, government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said on Friday.
He pointed out that planned foreign investments amounting to 3.0 billion euros had been announced in just the last two days, such as the Deutsche Telekom plan to pump two billion in the Greek economy over the next four years, the new fund set up with the United Arab Emirates Mubadala Investment Company or some 600 million euros being invested by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in 2018.
“The above certify the great effort being made in the area of attracting investments that will help in a dynamic recovery of the Greek economy after years of recession and economic stagnation,” he added.
Gov’t spokesman on main opposition and constitutional revision
“The government and the prime minister have repeatedly referred to the essential institutional changes that the country needs. Constitutional revision is, however, a political, social and institutional process that demands of the parliamentary parties to show at least a minimum of political and institutional responsibility. It is obvious that, unlike most of the country’s political forces, New Democracy (ND) shows no intention of behaving accordingly,” government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said on Friday, during a press briefing.
He then attacked main opposition New Democracy and its leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, saying: “Mr. Mitsotakis and ND have neither the will nor the ability to assume any responsibility for the crucial issues concerning the country’s future.
As the government spokesman said, “the main reason for their attitude to the constitutional review is that ND is a party identical with Greece’s past.
Source: ANA-MPA