A day after Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos said he believed the two Greek soldiers being held in Turkey were taken on the orders of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Qatar has offered to mediate for their release.

Qatar is a close ally of Turkey and its defense minister, Khalid Al Attiyah, reportedly made the offer in a statement after an official visit to Greece on Thursday.

Second Lieutenant Angelos Mitretodis and Sergeant Dimitris Kouklatzis have been held in a jail in Adrianople since early March when they mistakenly crossed the Turkish border in poor weather at the Evros river.

Since then, Turkey’s president has explicitly linked their case with that of the eight Turkish soldiers seeking asylum in Greece after fleeing their country following the July 2016 coup attempt.

Source: John Smith/greekreporter