Turkish Interior Minister Meets Greek Counterpart on Security Cooperation

Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi met with Greek Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis in Athens on October 8 to advance bilateral security cooperation. The ministers reviewed joint efforts against terrorism, new-generation criminal networks, and cross-border crime, noting progress under a trilateral mechanism that also includes Bulgaria.

Çiftçi stated that Turkey has made it difficult for irregular migrants to enter, move freely, work, or avoid deportation. He added that intelligence sharing has increased operations against organized crime groups based in Greece, resulting in numerous suspects being brought to justice.

“Crossing the border does not mean escaping justice. We do not abandon the pursuit of a criminal at the border.”

According to Çiftçi, Turkish authorities have conducted 1,741 operations against new-generation criminal organizations since the start of the year, dismantling 625 groups and detaining 8,170 suspects. The minister emphasized that criminals fleeing abroad will not escape justice, citing recent visits to Bulgaria, Georgia, and Greece to secure cooperation.

Çiftçi specifically requested the accelerated return of 60 individuals detained in Greece, including red-notice suspects linked to criminal organizations. He stressed that the asylum system must not become a pathway for fugitives to evade prosecution and called for effective Interpol information sharing.

Speaking later in Konya, Çiftçi reiterated the government's "zero tolerance" stance toward terrorist organizations including FETÖ, PKK/PYD, Daesh, and DHKP/C. He highlighted that no security personnel have been killed in the past two years and announced upcoming legislation to compensate victims of fraud schemes.