THESSALONIKI: A Greek court on Thursday handed a suspended prison sentence to a Turkish man who illegally crossed the border on a tractor, near to where Turkey captured two Greek soldiers in March.
The court in Orestiada, northern Greece, released the 38-year-old after suspending his five-year sentence for three years, officials said.
The suspect claimed he was digging a water pipeline ditch for Turkey's Edirne municipality, which borders Greece.
He is expected to appeal.
The incident occurred in the same area where two Greek soldiers were caught in March after crossing the border, claiming to have lost their way in the fog.
They were charged with espionage and have been held in pre-trial detention in Turkey ever since, sparking a diplomatic row between Athens and Ankara.
Turkey has sought to link the incident with the case of eight Turkish soldiers who sought asylum in Greece following the failed 2016 army coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Athens has demanded the Greek soldiers' release, but Erdogan over the weekend said his government would consider the case if Athens extradited the Turkish soldiers, whom Ankara has branded terrorists.
Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Sunday rejected the suggestion of a swap deal.
Greece's Supreme Court has ruled that the eight men will not be extradited, despite Turkish demands for them to face charges at home. The men deny involvement in the coup attempt.
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