Greek President Prokopios Pavlopoulos made a statement on Monday regarding the illegal detention in Turkey of the two Greek soldiers apprehended near the Greek-Turkish border in March.

Pavlopoulos visited the village of Monemvasia, in the Peloponnese, where he was declared an honorary citizen.

“The two Greek soldiers have been detained illegally for a long time, in violation of every concept of the rule of law. This unacceptable and undemocratic attitude of Turkey cannot affect our two heroic military servicemen, since their morale is at the highest peak, proving in practice what the Greek Army and Greek Armed Forces mean. However, it affects, above all, the prestige of Turkey and its leadership. Because this arbitrariness, which has caused a European and international outcry, is a blow to democracy, human rights and, in general, to our culture. The Turkish leadership, in the new period that has just begun with the re-election of its president, Tayyip Erdogan, will consider its responsibilities towards Greece, the European Union and the international community, stemming from its stance on the issue of the two Greek soldiers,” he said.

He also referred to Greek-Turkish relations, noting: “What we seek are relations of sincere friendship and good neighbourliness.” However, he clarified that “Turkey’s European perspective and Greek-Turkish relations, our friendship and good neighbourliness depend, among other things, mainly on a fundamental factor: complete respect for international law and also respect for the European acquis.”