The two Greek soldiers arrested by Turkey on the borders in north-eastern Greece will have spent at least a month in the maximum security prison of Adrianople before any substantive developments occur.
According to the latest reports by SKAI TV, any real progress in the cases of lieutenant Angelos Mitretodis and Sergeant Dimitris Kouklatzis is expected from March 30 onward, when the servicemen’s legal representatives are scheduled to meet with the Turkish judge.

The two Greek soldiers were arrested on the Turkish side in Kastanies, Evros, on March 1 by a Turkish military patrol after they had strayed into Turkish territory.
During the meeting of the two sides on March 30, the issue of their possible release, as well as all other details pertaining to their case will be examined.

Earlier today, the Deputy Minister of Defence, Fotis Kouvelis, announced that Greece had sent a data expert to Turkey for the examination of the mobile phones of the two Greek soldiers.

He pointed out that based on the information so far, the expert has not detected anything that could be deemed incriminating on the cell phones of the two Greek soldiers, like military espionage. He expressed the hope that eventually the only charge they would face would be that of illegal entry into a restricted area, which he said was a misdemeanour.

Mr. Kouvelis stressed that the case should be approached from a strictly legal perspective and not be examined out of its real proportions, with exaggerated expressions like “hostages”, as this did not serve the interests of Athens.

Regarding the meeting Mr Kouvelis had with the families of the two Greek soldiers and the reaction of the mother of Sergeant Kouklatzis, the Deputy Minister stressed: “I fully understand what a mother is saying. I told her that I would do what I am doing right now for my own child. It was a human conversation. I briefed her on what the Greek government and the Foreign Ministry are doing to get them back quickly “.