Reports in Greek media outlets claimed that Athens was increasingly rejecting applications by members of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) to extend their residence permits.
FETÖ, the culprit in the July 15, 2016 coup attempt in Türkiye, found a safe haven in Türkiye’s western neighbor. Greece’s admission of several soldiers involved in the coup attempt who hijacked a helicopter to take shelter in Greece had angered Ankara. A large number of FETÖ members not directly involved in the coup attempt also fled into the country when Türkiye launched a new wave of investigations against the group in the wake of the coup attempt.
A report by the Kathimerini newspaper said many members of the group who secured residence permits in Greece, where they applied for political asylum, were denied extensions to their permits by Greek authorities. In 2025, the state rejected asylum extensions for 44 Turkish citizens, for reasons of national security and public order, the Kathimerini report said. This number was only two in 2024. Another report by the Greek City Times website noted a sharp drop in approval of asylum requests from Türkiye. Greece approved 60.9% of asylum requests by Turkish nationals in 2023 and in 2025, this dropped to 4.7%. Media reports said Greek authorities were also reviewing past asylum applications approved for people linked to the FETÖ and PKK terrorist groups.
Türkiye and Greece have been on hostile terms for decades, but the two sides have taken steps toward rapprochement in recent years. Although the dispute over maritime borders sticks out as the main reason for the slow pace of rapprochement, Athens and Ankara still pursue dialogue. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to host Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis later this month in Ankara.
