ATHENS: Turkey’s foreign minister called for a new chapter in testy diplomatic ties with Greece on Saturday, even as he berated the neighboring country for providing a safe haven for Turkish “criminals.”
Eight Turkish commandos are seeking asylum in Greece after commandeering a helicopter to flee Turkey following a failed coup attempt against President Tayyip Erdogan in July 2016.
Turkey describes the fugitives as criminals involved in the coup plot, and has demanded that Greece hand them back. Greek courts have so far rejected Ankara’s requests.
“The situation in our relations today is not to the benefit of our countries. Building trust is important. We should open a new chapter in our relations,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told Ta Nea newspaper in an interview released on Saturday.
“We should continue the process of bilateral talks without any conditions. This is the way to solve our problems.”
He repeated demands, however, for the eight commandos to be sent to Turkey to face trial.
“The Greek justice system, contrary to the rules and the principles of the international law, is letting the culprits go unpunished and is violating the victims’ rights,” Cavusoglu was quoted as saying.
“We remain determined in our effort to make sure that the fugitive coup perpetrators will be extradited and stand trial in Turkey,” he added.
Long-time regional rivals, the two neighbors have been at odds over a host of issues from ethnically divided Cyprus to rights in the Aegean Sea.
Rhetoric on both sides in recent months has taken a marked turn for the worse, particularly after the collapse of peace talks in Cyprus in July 2017.
The European Union depends on Turkey to keep a tight lid on immigration from the Middle East, where the war in Syria has killed hundreds of thousands and pushed millions from homes.
Under a 2016 deal, Ankara has to take back all migrants and refugees, including Syrians, who cross to Greece illegally across the sea. In return, the EU has to take in thousands of Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and reward it with more money, early visa-free travel and faster progress in EU membership talks.
Cavusoglu said Turkey respected the deal and that the EU should now keep its promises, including granting the visa-free travel, extending a second three billion-euro tranche for the Syrian refugees and making progress on EU accession talks.
![]()
Turkey calls for a new chapter in relations with Greece
Turkey calls for a new chapter in relations with Greece
Czech Republic ‘certainly not’ on path to higher defense spending, says Babis
Asked in an online interview on Thursday on news server Denik.cz if the government was on a path to higher spending, Babis said: “Certainly not“
“Our priority is the health of our citizens, so that they live long lives”
PRAGUE: The Czech Republic is “certainly not” setting a path to reach higher defense spending despite rising NATO targets, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Thursday, marking a clear departure from the previous government’s policy.
Babis’ government, led by his populist ANO party, took power in December and is pushing a re-worked 2026 budget plan through parliament. It has faced some criticism over lower defense spending, however.
Babis said before last year’s election that a NATO agreement to gradually raise defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product was unrealistic.
Asked in an online interview on Thursday on news server Denik.cz if the government was on a path to higher spending, Babis said: “Certainly not.”
“Our priority is the health of our citizens, so that they live long lives,” he said.
Babis won last year’s election with promises to concentrate more on people’s standard of living by boosting wages, cutting some taxes and adding new benefits.
The new government’s 2026 budget proposal cuts spending on defense to 2.1 percent of GDP versus the previous center-right cabinet’s plan for 2.35 percent — a plan Defense Minister Jaromir Zuna said on Wednesday would not hurt army modernization projects.
The previous administration — a staunch supporter of Kyiv in the Ukraine-Russia war — had sought for defense spending to gradually rise to 3 percent of GDP by 2030.
The new government has continued a Czech-led initiative sourcing large-calibre ammunition for Ukraine and financed by donations from countries like Germany. But it has stopped providing budget funds itself to the program.
“Our priority is the health of our citizens, so that they live long lives”
PRAGUE: The Czech Republic is “certainly not” setting a path to reach higher defense spending despite rising NATO targets, Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Thursday, marking a clear departure from the previous government’s policy.
Babis’ government, led by his populist ANO party, took power in December and is pushing a re-worked 2026 budget plan through parliament. It has faced some criticism over lower defense spending, however.
Babis said before last year’s election that a NATO agreement to gradually raise defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product was unrealistic.
Asked in an online interview on Thursday on news server Denik.cz if the government was on a path to higher spending, Babis said: “Certainly not.”
“Our priority is the health of our citizens, so that they live long lives,” he said.
Babis won last year’s election with promises to concentrate more on people’s standard of living by boosting wages, cutting some taxes and adding new benefits.
The new government’s 2026 budget proposal cuts spending on defense to 2.1 percent of GDP versus the previous center-right cabinet’s plan for 2.35 percent — a plan Defense Minister Jaromir Zuna said on Wednesday would not hurt army modernization projects.
The previous administration — a staunch supporter of Kyiv in the Ukraine-Russia war — had sought for defense spending to gradually rise to 3 percent of GDP by 2030.
The new government has continued a Czech-led initiative sourcing large-calibre ammunition for Ukraine and financed by donations from countries like Germany. But it has stopped providing budget funds itself to the program.
Latest updates
© 2026 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.