The two Greek soldiers that mistakenly strayed onto Turkish territory during a border patrol will stand trial for illegally entering the country, a Greek government spokesman has confirmed.
Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told a press briefing on Friday that Athens expects the trial to be conducted quickly and the two soldiers returned to Greece soon.
He revealed that Greek defense chief, Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis, was in touch with his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, about the incident.
“We are in consultation with the Turkish authorities for a prompt resolution of the matter,” Tzanakopoulos told reporters.
“Legal processes in Turkey will be put in motion swiftly and we expect the return of the two Greeks to our country,” he said.
The Greek Ministry of Defense says the two soldiers lost their way due to bad weather in a wooded area of Kastanies and crossed into Turkish territory where were intercepted and arrested.
The two Greeks are in good health and were transferred to Andrianoupolis, or Edirne as the town is called in Turkish.
Analysts say that such incidents usually end within minutes between the military authorities on either side of the border.
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