Turkish interior minister heads to Athens for security talks
Turkish Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi will visit Athens on Thursday for talks with Greek officials focused on strengthening cooperation against cross-border crime, terrorist groups and emerging criminal gangs, according to ministry sources cited by Anadolu Agency.
Çiftçi is scheduled to meet Greek Minister for Migration and Asylum Thanos Plevris and Minister for Citizen Protection Michalis Chrisochoidis.
The discussions are expected to focus on joint measures to combat transboundary crime and improve security cooperation between the two neighboring countries.
Extradition to be discussed
Turkish and Greek officials will also discuss the extradition of suspected members of criminal gangs and ways to strengthen cooperation in this area, according to the Turkish Interior Ministry sources.
The talks come as Ankara has increased security contacts with neighboring countries as part of efforts to combat organized and cross-border crime.
Çiftçi recently visited Bulgaria and Georgia for discussions on similar security cooperation.
Previous trilateral meeting
The Turkish minister last visited Athens in April for a trilateral meeting with Plevris and Bulgarian Interior Minister Emil Dechev.
That meeting focused on security issues affecting Türkiye, Greece and Bulgaria, three neighboring countries facing common challenges involving irregular migration, organized crime and cross-border security.
Thursday’s visit is expected to build on those contacts, with Ankara and Athens seeking closer coordination on criminal networks and other security threats.
