Greece's Deputy Foreign Minister, Tasos Hatzivasileiou, accused former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of populism on Thursday, dismissing Tsipras's criticism that Athens has stood in the way of Middle East agreements pursued by other countries.
Hatzivasileiou said Greece had just heard a recital of populism from Tsipras, speaking on Greek state broadcaster ERT on the morning of September 10. He said Greece's role was not to interfere and prevent third countries from striking deals, but to build agreements and alliances that serve the national interest.
Saudi Arabia and Middle East diplomacy
Responding to Tsipras's criticism of the government's handling of developments in the Middle East, Hatzivasileiou said Greece's relationship with Saudi Arabia now carried strategic depth, extending into defense, energy and business cooperation. He said Greece's partnerships with Egypt and Saudi Arabia predated what he referred to as the Mecca Agreement and were not undone by the choices of other countries.
Hatzivasileiou said Tsipras would do well to read events as they actually are, rather than distort them to please his audience.
Dispute over recognition of Palestine
Hatzivasileiou was also pressed on Tsipras's accusation that the government was wrong not to recognize a Palestinian state. He noted that Tsipras himself did not move to recognize Palestine while he was prime minister.
Greece's position, he said, remains steady in favor of a two-state solution within the 1967 borders, achieved through a substantive political process. The two-state framework, long backed by the United Nations and the European Union, envisions an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel.
Hatzivasileiou said recognition of Palestine would come as the result of an overall settlement between Arabs and Israelis, adding that populism should not be allowed to gain ground on such serious international issues.
Tsipras served as Greece's prime minister from 2015 to 2019 as leader of the left-wing Syriza party. The current government is led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of the center-right New Democracy party, in which Hatzivasileiou serves as deputy foreign minister.
Electricity cable 'needs no licence from anyone'
Asked about the planned electricity interconnector linking Greece, Cyprus and Israel, Hatzivasileiou said there was no question of needing a green light from any third party to carry out the project. He said an infrastructure project, and a peaceful one at that, like the GSI cable, did not need licensing from anyone, adding that the point was simple and clear.
The project, known as the Great Sea Interconnector or GSI, is a planned undersea electricity cable intended to link the power grids of Greece, Cyprus and Israel across the Eastern Mediterranean.
Trilateral cooperation with Cyprus and Egypt
On the trilateral format bringing together Greece, Cyprus and Egypt, Hatzivasileiou said the talks had confirmed full mutual understanding among the three countries on critical issues facing the Eastern Mediterranean. He said Greece, Cyprus and Egypt were sending a joint message in favor of good neighborly principles, international law and cooperation between neighboring states.
'Achilles' Shield' air defense plan
Hatzivasileiou also addressed what he called Achilles' Shield, describing it as a comprehensive plan to protect Greek airspace that is also significant for the country's defense industry. He said Turkey had again characterized the plan as anti-Turkish, but that this was not true and reflected a mistaken approach.
'Responsible policy' in an uncertain world
Closing his remarks, Hatzivasileiou said Greece was acting responsibly during a difficult period of geopolitical uncertainty, pointing to open crises in Ukraine, the Middle East, Iran, the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. He said responsible policy meant taking precautions and protecting the national interest, and that this was exactly what the Mitsotakis government was doing.
