"Delighted by the news of the imminent release of the 2 Greek soldiers detained in Turkey. As I said in Varna, Turkey has nothing to fear from its European neighbors. The EU will remain engaged in this strategic partnership. We want to see a democratic, stable & prosperous Turkey," Juncker wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.
Earlier on Wednesday, Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos also welcomed the news of the servicemen’s release and invited his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar to visit Greece. He said that Ankara’s decision could mark a new era for Greek-Turkish relations.
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Relations between Ankara and Athens, however, remain tense due to another standoff related to a group of eight Turkish soldiers who fled to Greece after the 2016 failed coup in Ankara. Turkey demands that Greece extradite the servicemen, but Athens refuses to do so citing concerns that the officers will not face a fair trial back home.