The whereabouts of the Turkish deputy consul in the northern Greek city of Komotini, Davut Ocak and his wife Derria remains a mystery. The couple has allegedly gone missing since mid-November.
Although there is no official information from the Turkish Foreign Ministry or the Turkish Embassy in Athens, newspaper “Hurriyet” reported that the couple travelled to Italy on November 14, via the Greek city of Igoumenitsa, while it is unclear if they have their children with them.
According to the Turkish newspaper, his disappearance is linked to his recent transfer from Komotini in Greece, where he was stationed, to the capital Ankara. Media in Turkey suggest that this development could be linked to his concerns about being questioned over his alleged connections to the Fethullah Gulen movement, which has been blamed by the Erdogan government for the failed military coup attempt on July 15, 2016.
This is the second couple of Turkish diplomats who have disappeared from Greece in the last year. Another couple fled the General Consulate of Thessaloniki last May, where they were serving as deputy consuls.