Greek Memoir Addersses Impact of Failed Coup

(MENAFN) In his recently published memoir Ithaki, former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras reflects on how the failed July 15, 2016 coup attempt in Türkiye—carried out by the FETO terrorist organization—disrupted what he describes as a promising phase in Greek-Turkish relations.

The volume, which recounts his 2015–2019 tenure, contains a dedicated section addressing Greece’s external affairs.

Tsipras contends that ties with Türkiye were guided by a constructive and forward-looking agenda before the attempted overthrow.

Highlighting the frequency of his official trips, he notes that he had traveled to Türkiye three times in the seven months leading up to the upheaval. As he put it: “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.”

The former premier recounts that he was on holiday when news of the coup reached him, stressing: “I was one of the first world leaders to call Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and convey my support against the coup.”

Addressing the incident in which eight FETO members commandeered a Turkish military helicopter and fled to the northern Greek port of Alexandroupolis on July 16, 2016, Tsipras asserts that Greece was compelled under international law to grant them asylum.

Describing his conversation with President Erdogan—who requested their extradition—Tsipras remarks: “I told him coup plotters are not welcome in Greece, but the Greek judiciary will make the final decision on their case.”

MENAFN27112025000045017167ID1110404105