Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and New Democracy president Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday exchanged verbal attacks over the issue of the two Greek soldiers arrested in Turkey.
The main opposition chief asked Tsipras why he did not call Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and ask him to release the two junior military offices who crossed the border accidentally. He said that since Tsipras has a direct channel of communication with the Turkish leader, he should use it to ask for the benefit of the two soldiers.
The prime minister was irritated and replied that he will call Erdogan whenever he thinks it is right. At the same time, he accused Mitsotakis of flippancy.
“Everything you said about the two officers shows your own flippancy,” Tsipras said. “I will call the Turkish president when I deem it is the right time, after I talk with the army command. It is irresponsible to go to the Greek parliament and say why the Prime Minister has not called yet. We should not turn a routine incident into a big issue that can get us in trouble.”
“The administration’s handling of national issues is irresponsible and frivolous and is only done for small-scale tactics,” Mitsotakis had said earlier.
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