“Unfortunately the informal dinner of Mr. Mitsotakis not only did it not contribute to the European perspective of the Western Balkans in the context of a composed national strategy, but it highlighted the doctrine of the given and willing ally and the logic of communication and micropolitics that has been followed all these years in foreign policy, to the detriment of the country’s interests”. emphasizes SYRIZA-PS in his statement.

“Firstly, this meeting did not highlight any new Greek initiatives for the Balkans – such as the Thessaloniki Agenda and the historic Prespa Agreement – that could strengthen the country’s role in an area of ​​direct Greek interest and growing Turkish influence. It was reduced to a general Declaration on the importance of enlargement which focuses on the Ukrainian rather than the Balkans. The meeting was used to advertise the exclusion of the Albanian Prime Minister in relation to his unacceptable attitude in the Beleri case, at a time when, a few months before, Mr. Mitsotakis himself was praising Edi Rama in the minority in view of the municipal elections there,” he notes and adds:

“Not only were there no talks with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia on the observance of the Prespa Agreement, on new agreements or even a commitment to ratify the old ones, but there was not even a meeting. And of course there was no initiative regarding the role that Greece could play in the Kosovo issue, where the Mitsotakis policy is limited to the rapid and strategic upgrading of contacts with Kosovo. In addition, with an excess of hypocrisy, Mr. Mitsotakis organized a meeting on the European perspective of the Western Balkans, silencing any mention of the historic Prespa Agreement that unfroze this very perspective in 2018, paving the way for peace and development in a region that was going from bad to worse”.

“Secondly“, the announcement continues, “Mr. Mitsotakis, through his joint statement with the Ukrainian President committing Greece to further military aid, bilateral guarantees and support for the prospect of joining NATO, once again gives his credentials as a “willing ally » for the promotion of transatlantic interests on European soil. In fact, it proceeds with these commitments that bring serious risks to Greece and weaken its role as a pillar of peace and stability, without having secured the interests of our country. Without any reference to Turkey in the joint statement or even a verbal reference to the Cypriot issue by the Ukrainian President and without even claiming and securing substantial support from the US on the Greek-Turkish, diplomatic and defense level”.

And he concludes:SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance categorically opposes further, direct military involvement of Greece in the war in Ukraine through the above commitments, especially in the dangerous for the country training of Ukrainian pilots by Greeks which, in fact, according to the Ukrainian President, was a proposal of Mr. Mitsotakis. The position of SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance was and is clear against the illegal and bloody Russian invasion of Ukraine, in favor of sanctions and the prosecution of those accused of war crimes at the International Criminal Court, in favor of solidarity with the Ukrainian people, Ukraine’s accession perspective to the EU, the transport of Ukrainian grain by Greek companies and the Greek contribution to the reconstruction of Ukraine. However, we consider it extremely dangerous for Greece to intensify its direct military involvement in the war, to take the lead in Ukraine’s accession to NATO, and even by its choice to be absent from peace initiatives such as that of the Synod in Saudi Arabia (5-6/8) , in which even the Baltics, Bulgaria and Romania participated”.