G. Gerapetritis: Absolute union of Greece and the USA to prevent aggressive actions

The first statement from the Biden-Mitsotakis meeting, according to Minister of State George Gerapetritis, who spoke to the “Open” television station about the need to prevent the aggressive actions on the part of Ankara, was a complete coincidence of views of two leaders, today’s speech of the Greek Prime Minister before the Congress, but also how the Greek-Turkish relations are formed from now on.

In detail, “the visit of the Prime Minister in itself marks an important moment for Greek diplomacy, it is the first time that a Greek Prime Minister will address the meeting of the Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate and highlights the very important role he has to play “Greece in the wider region, in the Balkans, in the Eastern Mediterranean and in Europe. It is mainly a vote of confidence of the American diplomacy at the highest level towards Greece, not just as an interlocutor but as a partner and ally”, was the introductory comment of the Minister added:

“Expectations have been fully met and we are all looking forward to the Prime Minister’s speech in Congress. This speech will highlight the great, autonomous Greece, an undefined Greece, a geopolitical pillar in Europe. The day after this visit, Greece will come out a lot. upgraded, “he said.

According to the Minister of State, “Greece is shielded by its multilateral diplomacy, by the expansion of its territorial waters, by the upgrading of the Armed Forces and the geostrategic alliances with France and the United States, and today by the accession of Greece to “F-35” program, which is a weapon of the next generation, creates great deterrence, he added.

On this issue in particular, he noted that details remain to be determined, while clarifying that “all this is subject to our fiscal stability, which we always set very high. It is a program not tomorrow but in the coming years, and there is positive predisposition on both sides, the technical details for the delivery time remain to be determined “.

In any case, he continued, “the mere fact that Greece can discuss joining such a program alone constitutes a shielding of the country both in substance and symbolism, highlights Greece as a pillar of stability and power in the region. us”. And yes, “the agreements that our country has signed with France and the United States contain the mutual assistance clause”, but on the other hand this does not negate the fact that Greece should always take care, with its own forces, so so that at any time she can stand on her own two feet. “The agreements are completely locked in terms of mutual assistance, but historically it has been proven that Greece must always rely on its own forces – and that is what we will do.”

Very good chemistry between the two leaders

He went on to say that “Turkey has every reason to be concerned about the Greek Prime Minister’s trip, it is not a ceremonial trip. We are fully embraced by President Biden, who has a very good personal relationship, very good chemistry with the Prime Minister, and this is diffused at all levels of American diplomacy. “, he continued, pointing out what the prime minister said yesterday and will repeat today, as he said, that is,” we are without footnotes, without asterisks on the right side in the sense of the values ​​of freedom and democracy. ”

Returning to the issue of Greek-Turkish relations, he stressed that “the issue of demilitarization is not raised in any way, Greece has every right deriving from international treaties and international customary law to have deterrence on the islands when it has armies against it. “It’s an absolute sovereign right,” he said, referring to “Turkey’s retrograde stance on the issue of weapons systems.”

On the other hand, and “especially at the level of the Senate, Greece has a very developed penetration, a critical mass of senators supports the Greek positions. Yesterday, the Prime Minister publicly raised the issue of the Cyprus issue with President Biden and asked for his good services that which is never secondary “.

Finally in poor Greece

“What’s worth to us, after all, is the upgrading of Greece, not the downgrading of Turkey. We are not redefined, the policy of melancholy Greece has stopped for good,” he said, adding that “the Greek prime minister has his own temperamental and political characteristics, he is a cosmopolitan prime minister, very extroverted, very capable in defending the Greek positions and the international communication, he raises the issues of the protection of Greece, of the upgrading of the country “. In addition, the Minister of State noted “absolute coincidence in the position of our country as an energy hub”.

While criticizing that Kyriakos Mitsotakis did not publicly denounce the Turkish provocation, he responded by emphasizing that “in a very clear, public way, before President Biden, the Prime Minister stated that Greece is not going to make any concessions to its sovereignty and sovereign rights – and this has multiple recipients especially at this critical geopolitical moment “.

In conclusion, “all issues have been raised in private meetings, and in particular with President Biden, and of the Turkish provocation.” While the regret of the country appearing in the meeting with the US President with a negative agenda is “wrong diplomacy”, he claimed, explaining at the same time the “why”: “Our diplomacy is based on self-determination. Greece itself is strong, it consolidates its position, and that goes to American diplomacy and public opinion. ”

For G. Gerapetritis, “today, when we are at the strongest level of relations with the United States and the Western world, is the right time to defend our interests.” Moreover, “a firm position of American diplomacy is that Greece is a strong pole of the Transatlantic Alliance, for this reason alone there is a guarantee of sovereignty of the country, there is full integration of the principle of mutual assistance for any aggressive action (…) the US “They guarantee our security and our sovereign rights,” he said.

In conclusion, “there was a complete consensus on the need to prevent such acts of aggression in a very vulnerable region of the world, there was an absolute community of spirit that aggression against a Member State of the European Union and the Transatlantic Alliance is not permissible.”

However, on the issue of military aid to Kiev, he clarified that “Greece is not going to send further military aid to Ukraine”, he added, “as far as I know, no further escalation has been requested.” In conclusion, “Greece will continue to be on the right side of history to the extent appropriate to it and based on the obligations arising from its participation in the Alliance.”

To be precise – electricity

Closing on economic issues, commenting on the European Commission’s announcements on inflation and growth, he noted that Greece is “in a much better position than most European countries”. However, he continued, “this does not negate the fact that we need to be prepared for a medium- and long-term crisis of accuracy, (which) depends on the evolution of the war and energy reserves.”

Considering that the government package, which is gradually coming into force, “will have a positive effect”, he reiterated that “there are no magic solutions”, instead “we follow a realistic policy” before the European decisions are even made.

The central position of the government is that “as long as this very large burden exists, we will continue to support vulnerable households.” Fortunately, he added, “budget revenues were higher than expected, so this gives us a significant fiscal space to strengthen Greek society and economy.”

Consequently, “as far as our budgetary capabilities allow, we will intervene with measures not necessarily horizontal, but point-based, targeting the most vulnerable”, a position that is also a “strategic decision” of the government.

Regarding power outages, he said, referring to the government’s information, that “we are close to the number of (power) disconnections that have always taken place”, but, he pointed out, “more attention should be paid to “There is no interruption in the most vulnerable households. Our estimate is that with the aid that will be given up to 600 euros to most of our fellow citizens there will be a partial decompression of the weight”.

He concluded by saying that “the issue will be gradually resolved”. If, nevertheless, “there is a need for further interventions and these will be evaluated”, he concluded.

SOURCE: AMPE