The bells toll for Athens

One of the most surprising news coming out of Athens in recent months was a controversial ruling by the Greek Supreme Court against the extradition of eight coup plotters to Turkey. The individuals, all former military officers linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), had participated in the July 15 coup attempt and escaped to Greece with a military helicopter upon realizing that their efforts to overthrow the government was doomed to fail.

Here's how the Turks see the situation: There is no legal basis for refusing to extradite eight individuals who admitted to complicity in the bloody coup attempt, which left 249 innocent people dead, and thereby committed crimes against humanity and democracy. As such, the Greek court apparently reached its unlawful and immoral verdict with political reasons in mind.

In the wake of the Greek court's inexplicable decision, tensions between Turkey and Greece escalated rapidly. Recalling that Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had pledged to send the coup plotters back to Turkey in a phone call after the July 15 coup attempt, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his frustration with the court ruling. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said his government was disappointed.

A few days after the Greek court's decision, Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar and several other four-star generals visited the Kardak islets in the Aegean Sea. In the 1990s, Ankara and Athens had almost gone to war over this piece of land. Even though the Turkish military argued that the visit was "routine" and scheduled ahead of the court decision, policymakers in both countries agree that it was a clear message to Athens.

The Greeks responded by aggravating the crisis in an effort to score political points. First, Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos dropped a commemoration wreath to the islet by helicopter. Then Greece announced that Turkish jets were violating their airspace at unprecedented levels. Finally, the Greeks carried out a military exercise in the Aegean.

Let us leave aside theatrics and focus on the only question that actually matters: What led Athens to reach the unlawful decision to reject Turkey's extradition request?

According to senior Turkish officials, the court ruling does not reflect the Greek government's position. As a matter of fact, more than one official said they believed that the Greeks actually wanted to send the coup plotters back to Turkey. Needless to say, the Greek leadership understands that the court decision hurts their interests – especially after Tsipras had promised to deliver the criminals. However, the Turks believe that the Greeks' hands are tied. In recent years, Athens has become completely dependent on the European Union –in particular to Germany - to survive not just economically but also politically. Nowadays, whoever pays the piper in Athens gets to call the tune. For a people who cherish their liberty and independence, the situation is indeed sad.

And what do the countries that forced the Greeks to harbor the coup plotters want to accomplish? In truth, the Greek court's decision really helps them. The next time Turkey demands the extradition of FETÖ operatives from Germany, Holland or other EU members, European authorities will be able to cite the Greek precedent and turn it down. At the very least, fugitives will be able to win some time.

Under the circumstances, why would the Greeks want to fuel tensions with Turkey? Again, the answer is simple: Having given up their independence, Greek politicians wish to distract attention from their reliance on the European Union by pumping nationalist fervor. Another thing they want to conceal is that the country's economy is on the brink of collapse. Greece has failed to reach an agreement with creditors. There are rumors that Athens will declare bankruptcy in the absence of a fourth bailout package.

The situation in Athens is so bad that Mr. Tsipras finds himself torn between the EU's demands and Turkey's legitimate requests. Nowadays, the Greek prime minister has no choice but to ask "how high?" when the creditors tell him to jump. In light of the current situation, Turks should seriously consider giving Greece a few billion dollars in return for the coup plotters and give Mr. Tsipras a break. For the bells toll for Athens.