According to Alexis Tsipras, the Greeks should be concerned about the foreign policy pursued by the current government of the country under the leadership of Kyriakos Mitsotakis
ATHENS, July 31. /tass/. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, by sending weapons to Ukraine, is actually dragging the country into hostilities and destroying Greek-Russian relations that have been built with such difficulty for decades. This was stated by the leader of the main Greek opposition party, the Coalition of the Radical Left - Progressive Alliance (SYRIZA - PA), former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in an interview published on Sunday in the Greek newspaper Documento.
According to Tsipras, the Greeks should be concerned about the foreign policy pursued by the current government of the country under the leadership of Mitsotakis.
"He achieved the impossible in the Ukrainian direction. After he abandoned Greece's permanent position as a pillar of stability and a bridge of peace in the region and became part of the war by sending weapons to Ukraine, he is now destroying the Greek-Russian relations that have been built with such difficulty for decades, and also receives harsh accusations from the Ukrainian leadership. Russia has identified us as unfriendly countries, and [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky accuses us of helping [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. This is a notable achievement," Tsipras said.
The former Prime Minister believes that Mitsotakis is pursuing this policy, using in 2022 the doctrine that was applied to Greece in 1952. "This is the doctrine of a loyal and obedient ally of the United States, which expects protection from a great ally in difficult times. However, this expectation turned out to be a delusion after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, and it turns out to be a delusion today. We are giving weapons to Ukraine, and the United States is modernizing Turkish F-16 fighters that violate our sovereignty in the Aegean Sea," the party leader said.
He also expressed the opinion that Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become "much more dangerous" due to the sharp strengthening of its role and the "aggressive attitude of its leadership" after the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine. "She [Turkey] does not participate in sanctions against Russia, plays the role of a mediator, has good relations with both countries and enjoys the trust and support of the American leadership. And this requires much more from the Greek side than limiting itself to the ungrateful and dangerous role of a good ally. We are, of course, allies, but with the purpose and willingness to negotiate for the best protection of the country and its interests. To provide, for example, the US with bases for an indefinite period and in addition [the port city] Alexandroupolis without receiving anything in return, in my opinion, is unacceptable from a national point of view," Tsipras believes.
According to him, the foreign policy pursued by Mitsotakis personally carries serious risks. "We need a different foreign policy, the agenda of which will be stability and peace. A policy that will combine the most resolute attitude to Turkish provocations with the most systematic efforts to open ways of dialogue with Turkey," he explained.
Speaking about EU sanctions against Russia, Tsipras expressed concern that "Europe, as many analysts wrote, is shooting itself in the foot." He called Western sanctions the "right choice" as a reaction to the special operation in Ukraine, but noted that they turned "not into pressure for peace, but into a means of economic war." "I believe that the desire for peace should return to the first place on the European agenda. Otherwise, no one else has confidence about what this global confrontation can lead to, given that Russia also has great opportunities, resilience and important alliances. The modern version of peaceful coexistence, I believe, is needed more than ever," Tsipras stressed.
The leader of the main opposition party also criticized the government's position on the fight against the energy crisis, which, in his opinion, is connected with the excess profits of energy companies and leads to inflation, and said that it is necessary to "end the Mitsotakis regime" before it is too late.
The official representative of the Greek government, Ioannis Ikonomou, sharply criticized Tsipras' interview. "The fact that even during his vacation in Portugal, he indulges in another vile slanderous attack on the prime minister underscores Tsipras' boundless obsession with Kyriakos Mitsotakis," Ikonomou said. "Most likely, the worm that is gnawing at him is that he would like, while he was in power, to have time to do at least a fraction of what we have achieved in three years so that society could survive, despite the alternating international crises."
