by Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, March 2 (Xinhua) -- Greece expects that the two Greek soldiers who accidentally crossed the border into Turkey will be returned soon after the completion of formal procedures which were underway, Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said on Friday.

"We are in contact with the Turkish authorities to quickly resolve the matter. The Greek Defense chief Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis has been in touch with his Turkey counterpart," Tzanakopoulos told a press briefing in Athens.

The two soldiers strayed into Turkish territory during a patrol on Thursday evening "due to adverse weather conditions," according to a Greek Army General Staff press release.

The two soldiers lost their way, ran into a Turkish patrol and were detained for illegal entry.