Greek president rejects soldier swap with Turkey by Staff Writers Athens (AFP) April 22, 2018 Greek president Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Sunday rejected the suggestion of a swap deal involving two Greek soldiers jailed in Turkey in exchange for Turkish soldiers wanted by Ankara over the 2016 failed coup. Pavlopoulos ruled out the potential swap after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said his government would consider the Greek soldiers' case if Athens extradited the Turkish soldiers. "The exchange of the two Greek soldiers that are jailed with the eight Turkish soldiers that are in Greece is out of the question", said Pavlopoulos. The two Greek soldiers were charged with espionage in Turkey after crossing over the border on March 2. They claim to have lost their way in the fog. The eight Turkish soldiers fled their home country to Greece after the failed 2016 coup. Greece's Supreme Court has ruled that the men will not be extradited, despite Turkish demands for them to face charges at home. The men deny involvement in the coup attempt. "They (Greece) ask us to give back the Greek soldiers and we told them 'if you make such a demand, you should first give us FETO soldiers involved in a coup against our state'," Erdogan told the private NTV television in an interview on Saturday. "If they are handed to us, we will consider" the situation on Greek soldiers, Erdogan said. FETO is the name Ankara uses for the movement led by Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey blames for masterminding the coup attempt. Gulen, based in the US state of Pennsylvania, denies the accusations. "When I spoke about a hostage situation of the Greek soldiers I was mocked. Sadly, I am confirmed by this proposal of exchange", the Greek Defence Minister, Panos Kammenos said on Saturday, commenting on Erdogan's interview. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras earlier this month demanded the release of the two soldiers, arguing that they should not be "pawns to blackmail". A statement issued by his office on Sunday said that "mentions of a swap or offsetting the issue of the two Greek soldiers with other issues are unacceptable and therefore rejected".
Escalating trade dispute could derail recovery, put 'many jobs at risk': WTO chief Washington (AFP) April 20, 2018 A major escalation in the trade dispute between the US and China could derail the global recovery and put "many jobs at risk," World Trade Organization chief Roberto Azevedo said Friday. And most of the impact of an all-out trade war would hit poor countries the hardest, he said in a statement to the International Monetary Fund's spring meetings. It is difficult to measure the effects "of a major escalation, but clearly they could be serious," he said. "A breakdown in trade relations among m ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |