Mike Manatos spoke, among other things, about the importance of the Prime Minister’s speech in Congress.
One of the most powerful representatives of the Greek lobby in Washington, the Mike Manatosspoke to SKAI and to Apostolos Maggeriadis for behind-the-scenes efforts in the US capital to prevent it of Turkish provocative actions.
Mr. Manatos also spoke about its importance of the Prime Minister’s speech to Congress which resulted from a long-term effort made by Greek-American organizations.
The interview in detail
Question: There is an escalation, an unprecedented escalation on the part of Turkey in recent weeks. I wonder if you are concerned about a possible escalation or an episode in the Aegean?
Mike Manatos: We are very worried. We are very worried. However, again because of this President and because of the presence of people like the Secretary of State and the National Security Adviser who have been in Biden’s environment for a long time, I am convinced as I have been in contact with the people in the role, that they have become precautionary. actions, instead of these people waiting for something to happen. I think they are discussing possible scenarios for what the reaction of the United States would be, how they could de-escalate and support our very important ally, Greece, in the region and protect them in any way needed.
Question: And as for the F-16 and F-35 arms embargo set by Congress. Do you see an opportunity for Congress to lift this embargo? Or do you think that Turkey is on a path from which it can not escape?
Mike Manatos: I think that today the few supporters that Turkey had for this sale have disappeared. However, as we have seen in Washington in the many decades we have been working on these issues, some positive moves are needed in the right direction from Turkey, even if these positive moves recede from the outrageous positions it has taken that may alleviate it. concern and I think unfortunately there are a lot of people in the Department of Defense and State Department bureaucracies and to some extent in the White House who are always looking for ways to try to bring Turkey closer to the United States. And so a sale like this can go in that direction. But we are united, as surely the community leaders and those people with whom we work with in Congress to try to prevent it, are doing what we can to prevent this sale.
Question: Do you think that NATO or the US, for example, is somehow involved in a negotiation with Turkey to lift its veto on Finland and Sweden joining NAITO?
Mike Manatos: I think Turkey is always in some kind of negotiation all the time, right? And I think it’s rather clear what is going on here, which is extremely unfortunate. And the challenge for the United States, from the perspective of our community, of those of us who have been working with the US government for decades and trying to help support Greece in the region, is that Turkey is always playing some kind of game. Correctly; And some people still believe that what the Turks are doing now is just to be able to retreat and not follow the threats they are making and therefore be considered to be helping the region, which is simply unbelievable. But the good news from our point of view is that we have a Prime Minister, Mitsotakis, who is highly regarded in the United States and I think is very clear in promoting Greece’s positions. And we have a remarkable team in the United States that handles it as well.
Question: You mentioned Mitsotakis and I wonder if it was the speech in Congress that infuriated Erdogan.
Mike Manatos: Starting with the talk, selected people in the community worked for years to help make it happen. It was historic. For the first time in history, the Prime Minister of Greece spoke. It was the first speech to a joint congressional meeting by a foreign leader since COVID. Many other leaders from around the world tried to seize this opportunity and he took it. In Washington, there are many gains from the substance but also from the symbolism. And of course the facts. So it was remarkable for the Prime Minister of Greece to have this opportunity. What he also did with the opportunity he was given was equally remarkable. He really stood up to the circumstances and the reviews were remarkable.
