Two Turkish citizens suspected of spying on military installations at Poros, Greece were arrested on Monday.
The two were arrested in the castle town of Monemvasia and were transferred to Athens where they will be interviewed by the Greek intelligence service EYP.
According to reports, the two Turks arrived on the island of Poros on Friday afternoon, on motorcycles and a fully equipped drone.
They booked their stay at a hotel on the island under the initials M.T. without providing identification.
On Saturday morning they raised the drone that flew for about 10 minutes over the naval base of Poros.
The base is home to the Hellenic Naval Academy which has been the backbone of the naval force of the Greek Armed Forces. The first naval shipyard was also located there.
The arrest follows a period of calm in relations between Greece and Turkey. In early September Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey has entered a new and positive era in its relations with Greece.
His Greek counterpart Giorgos Gerapetritis spoke about “the climate of optimism” that allows for the de-escalation of tension between the two countries.
“We want relations to continue on the basis of cordial coexistence and tolerance with mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs.”
Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis will meet the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 20.
The last time the two leaders met was on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Lithuania back in July.
Spying allegations between Greece and Turkey
It is not the first time that suspected spies on behalf of Turkey have been arrested in Greece.
In 2020, two suspects were arrested are accused of spying by taking photographs and gathering other sensitive information about Greek military installations and troop movements in the southeastern Aegean.
One of the suspects was identified as a 35-year-old secretary at the Turkish consulate on the eastern Aegean island of Rhodes.
The second suspect was employed as a cook on a passenger ferry connecting the islands of Rhodes and Kastellorizo. Both islands lie close to the Turkish coast.
Last year a court in Turkey sentenced a Greek citizen of Syrian origin, who was arrested and accused of being a spy for the Greek intelligence agency EYP, to 12 years imprisonment.
Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) claimed that Muhammed Amar Ampara presented himself as a businessman during his travels to Turkey and engaged in espionage under the guise of trade.
Ampara – MIT claimed- compiled information about the Turkish Armed Forces elements on the border and transferred it to Greek intelligence.
Greece had denied that the Greek citizen had any connection with EYP.