Pyatt: Greek soldiers held in Turkey 'should have come home'

The U.S. Ambassador in Greece, Geoffrey Pyatt said on Wednesday during his inaugural speech at the Prometheus Energy Lecture in Greece, referred to Greece's troubled relations with Turkey and the continued "unacceptable" detention of the two Greek soldiers in Turkey.

Greek soldiers held in Turkey 'should have come home', says Pyatt Source: Supplied

"I think for the United States, thinking about the challenge of Turkey's strategic direction, we have no greater ally than Greece," Pyatt said. 

"You have intimate familiarity with Turkey, you have great soft power, but you are also impacted every single day by unpredictable behaviours, whether it is ship collisions in the Eastern Aegean or the unacceptable continued detention of two Greek soldiers, who should have come home in the spirit of our alliance relationship," he added.

Talking about energy issues, Pyatt emphasised the need for diversification and ensuring that "no country from outside Europe’s Energy Union has the ability to manipulate its resources or leverage its position in the global energy market to extort other nations."