Tit for tat spy row

Turkey and Greece announced a round of tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats in a spy row that signalled a worsening of relations between the two traditional rivals. The Turkish foreign ministry said it had asked the Greek embassy to withdraw an administrative diplomat at its Istanbul consulate for "activities incompatible with his status", the diplomatic euphemism for spying.

Greece denied the accusation and said it would reciprocate. "We will answer by asking a Turkish diplomat to leave. The Turkish accusations are ridiculous and aim at creating fresh tension between us," a government official said in Athens. - Reuters, Ankara