Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Tasos Hatzivasileiou accused former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of delivering what he called "a recital of populism" over his criticism of the government's handling of Middle East policy, in an interview with Greek state broadcaster ERT on Thursday.
Hatzivasileiou said Greece's role was not to obstruct agreements between other countries but to build partnerships and alliances that serve the national interest. He said Greece was not in the business of blocking third countries from striking deals with one another.
Saudi Arabia and the Mecca Agreement
Responding to Tsipras's criticism over developments in the Middle East, Hatzivasileiou said Greece's relationship with Saudi Arabia has strategic depth and extends across defence, energy and business. He said Greece's cooperation with Egypt and Saudi Arabia predates what he referred to as the so-called Mecca Agreement and is not undone by decisions made by other countries. He said Tsipras would do well to read events as they actually are rather than distort them to please his audience.
Asked about Tsipras's accusation that the government was wrong not to recognise a Palestinian state, Hatzivasileiou noted that Tsipras himself did not recognise Palestine while he was prime minister. He said Greece's position remains firmly in favour of a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, reached through a genuine political process. He said recognition of Palestine would come as the result of an overall settlement between Arabs and Israelis, and that populism should not be allowed to gain ground on such serious international issues.
Undersea Cable and Regional Cooperation
On the 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, such as the GSI cable, needs no licence from anyone, calling the matter simple and clear. The project, formally known as the Great Sea Interconnector, is a planned undersea power cable intended to connect the electricity grids of the three countries.
On trilateral cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and Egypt, Hatzivasileiou said the three countries continue to show full convergence on critical issues in the Eastern Mediterranean. He said Greece, Cyprus and Egypt were sending a joint message in support of good-neighbourly relations, international law and cooperation between neighbouring states.
Achilles' Shield Air Defence Plan
Hatzivasileiou also addressed what the government calls the "Achilles' Shield," describing it as a comprehensive plan to protect Greek airspace that is important for the country's defence sector. He said Turkey again was reading the plan as directed against it, and that this was not the case and reflected a mistaken approach.
He said Greece was acting responsibly during a difficult period of geopolitical uncertainty, pointing to open fronts in Ukraine, the Middle East, Iran, the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. He said responsible policy means taking the necessary measures to protect the national interest, and that the government led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is doing exactly that.
