Two Greek soldiers arrested for illegally crossing into Turkey last week have had their request for bail rejected.
Lawyers filed a demand for the two men’s release from custody until a trial date is set for Lieutenant Aggelos Mitretodis and Sergeant Dimitrios Kouklatzis.
The pair is being held at a prison in the town of Edirne (Andrianoupolis in Greek) close to the border between the two countries.
A Turkish court in Edirne initially postponed a decision until later in the week but local media later reported on Monday that the bail request had been denied.
The soldiers told a prosecutor that they lost their way in bad weather conditions while patrolling the border near the town of Kastanies and ended up in Turkish territory as they followed footprints in the snow.
The parents of the two men have arrived in Edirne and were granted access to the jail where they met their sons.
A prolonged detention of Greek military personnel could further escalate tension between the two NATO allies who have been at loggerheads over the Imia islets in the Aegean and Cypriot gas explorations.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
