Relations between Greece and Turkey are steadily declining after the Turkish Foreign Ministry reproached Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Kotzias over his statements on the presence of the occupying military forces on the northern part of Cyprus. Turkey dubbed Kotzias’s statements, who linked the recent failed coup attempt in Turkey with the abolition of the guarantor Turkish military forces in Cyprus, as ‘unfortunate’, claiming they were an intervention into Turkish internal politics. The new episode comes to add to the already fragile relations between the two countries due to the open issue of the extradition to Turkey of the 8 military officers who fled to Greece during the July coup, and the open rift between the EU and Turkey on the refugee deal. The Turkish Justice Ministry is expected to send an official request to the Greek Foreign Ministry for the speedy extradition of the 8 officers who have asked for political asylum in Greece fearing for their lives if they return to Turkey. Amid this tense climate, the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement claiming the Greek junta of 1974 backed the coup on the island. Responding to the claims the Greek Foreign Ministry said the Turkish Foreign Ministry should refrain from ad-hominem attacks and answer whether it believed there were any coup supporters in the occupying forces in Cyprus.