ATHENS

The failed July 15, 2016 coup attempt in Türkiye orchestrated by the FETO terrorist organization prevented Greek-Turkish relations from flourishing, former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras argued in his newly released memoir, Ithaki.

The book, an account of his four years in office from 2015 to 2019, also includes a chapter on Greece’s foreign affairs.

Tsipras maintained that a positive agenda dominated relations with Türkiye before the attempted coup.

Noting that he visited Türkiye three times in the seven months prior to the coup attempt, he said: “In my opinion, if the coup didn’t intervene, the 4th High-Level Cooperation Council (YDIK) meeting held in Izmir in March 2016 could have been an important turning point in Turkish-Greek relations.”

Recalling that he was on vacation when he was informed about the coup attempt, Tsipras emphasized: “I was one of the first world leaders to call Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and convey my support against the coup.”

On the hijacking of a Turkish military helicopter by eight FETO members to Greece’s northern port city of Alexandroupolis on July 16, 2016, he claimed that Greece was obliged by international law to give the fugitive FETO members asylum.

Recounting his phone call with Erdogan, during which the Turkish president requested their extradition, Tsipras said: “I told him coup plotters are not welcome in Greece, but the Greek judiciary will make the final decision on their case.”

The issue of the eight fugitives remained a constant source of tension in Turkish-Greek relations for at least two years, he added.