Swedish move ‘not precedent’ in Turks’ asylum case, says Greek ministry

eKathimerini — A decision by Swedish authorities not to return to Turkey Turkish asylum seekers who have been linked to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric whom Ankara blames for last month’s attempted coup, does not set a precedent, sources at Greece’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

The sources distinguished the case of Turkish asylum seekers in Sweden to that of eight Turkish officers who fled to Greece aboard a military helicopter on the day after the failed coup in Turkey.

Sweden’s decision “does not create an international precedent that legally binds Greece,” the sources said, referring to the claims for political asylum in Greece made by the eight Turkish officers.