Al. Tsipras: No retreat to the detriment of Greek interests for NATO enlargement

Greece-US bilateral relations, the negotiations for the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, as well as the escalating aggression of Turkey, were discussed in the meeting that SYRIZA-PS President Alexis Tsipras had with the new US Ambassador, George Tsou.

According to SYRIZA, Mr. Tsipras welcomed the new US Ambassador to Greece and expressed SYRIZA-PS’s support in promoting the Strategic Dialogue on Greek-American relations with special emphasis on the economy and energy. ”

The President of SYRIZA, stressed the need for the strategic-defense relations of the two countries to be developed on a mutually beneficial basis, with tangible commitments for the defense of Greece, reiterating his disagreement with the recent indefinite revision of the bilateral defense agreement, without substantive “US commitments to support the country in the face of provocative violations of international law by Turkey.”

According to the same information, “he expressed his strong opposition to the sending of weapons to Ukraine, and in fact to heavy weapons coming from critical military positions on the islands and on the border of the country.”

He further clarified that “in the event that Finland and Sweden join NATO, there will be concessions to the detriment of Greek interests, as Stoltenberg’s statements show, and the attitude of the official opposition and the future government of the country will be negative.”

He stressed the need for the US to directly condemn overflights and violations in the Aegean and to freeze the sale of F16s to its neighbor, as the US can not give aircraft to Turkey in order to violate international law by overflights over the Greek islands.

“Finally, he pointed out the need for Turkey to be pressured to open the channels with Greece in order to avoid further escalation of tension and to return to a dialogue of recession.”

SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ