Greek soldiers appearing before Turkish court

Two Greek soldiers arrested on March 1 by Turkish authorities for accidentally crossing the border in northeastern Greece while on patrol, are appearing before a court in the city of Edirne on Tuesday, Greece’s ANA-MPA news agency has reported.

The purpose of the appearance by Lieutenant Angelos Mitretodis, 25, and Sergeant Dimitris Kouklatzis, 27, who were remanded in pretrial custody earlier this month, was not made clear.

Over in Athens, however, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is due to meet with Defense Minister Panos Kammenos on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the leftist-led government’s approach to the issue, as the coalition has appeared divided in its public comments.

Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos and Kammenos, who heads the right-wing nationalist Independent Greeks, on Monday denied rumors of a rift in the government over the issue, though the defense minister once more used the word “hostages” to describe the Greek soldiers, a term that has angered many in the government.