By Penelope Galliou

The geopolitical footprint and the role of Greece in the wider Mediterranean area is expanded again by the prime minister by accepting the invitation of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, in order Kyriakos Mitsotakis to attend and participate at the Gaza Conference, next Thursday in Paris. In this context, after his presence at the Peace Conference in Cairo, the Greek Prime Minister insists on actively participating in the diplomatic processes for developments in the Middle East, claiming a multi-level role in the rapid developments.

After all, from the first moment of the new flare-up in the Middle East, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, decided that Greece should not remain a spectator of the developments but to claim and take an active role, as a pillar of stability and a force to be reckoned with in the wider Mediterranean region, with a resounding and interventionist voice.

In this light, the telephone conversation that the Greek Prime Minister had with me yesterday was also the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, in which the Greek government’s firm condemnation of the actions of Hamas and the defense of Israel’s right to self-defense were formulated. At the same time, Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his concern to the American Secretary of State about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, focusing on the need for a continuous flow of humanitarian aid to civilians.

After all, it is still at the center of discussions the creation of a maritime humanitarian corridor. According to government sources, and after yesterday’s first shipment of humanitarian aid for the civilians of Gaza, via Egypt, Greece is already in close contact with Cyprus as well. At the center is the issue of the initiative to open a humanitarian corridor to Gaza, in the context of the tripartite initiative of Greece – Cyprus – France in coordination with international organizations and in particular the UN, but also with Israel itself.

As the same sources explained, this is a difficult undertaking as objective difficulties must be assessed, such as the fact that at the moment there is no safe port in the Gaza Strip, so that they can approach ships that will carry the aid. This is why, according to information, there are constant contacts between Greece and France and other European countries with Cyprus, with the aim of serving as a “base” for the maritime humanitarian corridor being attempted for Gaza.