Greece won’t extradite Turkish soldiers

Greece will not extradite eight Turkish soldiers who fled there after a failed 2016 coup attempt, the justice minister said on Tuesday. However, an offer to try them in Athens is still open, Reuters reports. Stavros Kontonis said he had discussed the case of the soldiers with Turkish Deputy Justice Minister Bilal Ucar in Athens. Turkey describes the soldiers as traitors and coup plotters and the issue has further strained relations between the two NATO allies. They are at odds over issues ranging from jet flights over the Aegean Sea to ethnically split Cyprus. Greece’s top court has rejected Turkey’s request for the soldiers’ extradition and, therefore, they would not be sent back, according to Kontonis.