Turkey is expelling a Greek diplomat for spying, prompting Greece to say it will respond likewise.

A foreign ministry spokesman in Ankara said an official in the Greek consulate had been engaged in intelligence-gathering and had been told to leave within seven days.

The Turkish press has accused the man, Euftratios Haralambous, of gathering information on military installations and aiding Kurdish guerrillas.

Greece said the Turkish accusation was ridiculous, intended to create new tensions.

Turkey has repeatedly accused Greece of training militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to attack Turkish targets.

Relations between the two countries have grown worse since Turkey's failure, at least for the forseeable future, to be considered as a member of the European Union.

Ankara has accused Greece of spearheading moves within the European Union to reject Turkey's bid to join the bloc.

The diplomat's case is the latest in a series of rows between arch rivals Turkey and Greece, both Nato members.

The two have been involved in major disputes over the Aegean Sea's sovereignty and the Cyprus question.

Turkey and Greece came to the brink of war in January last year over the sovereignty of a handful of uninhabited Aegean islets and only heavy US diplomatic pressure prevented an armed confrontation.

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