A clear message to Antonis Samaras, one day after his interview, was sent by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis from the floor of the Parliament, answering a topical question, regarding the convening of a five-party conference on the Eastern Mediterranean.
Choosing to position himself without referring to the former prime minister by name, who blamed the government for its stance on national issues, Mr. Gerapetritis stressed: “Hostility and intolerance at other levels can be negative; in foreign policy it is certainly destructive for the country.”
This statement came a day after Antonis Samaras’ television interview, in which the former prime minister repeated his criticisms of the government’s foreign policy and Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ decision to expel him from New Democracy. Among other things, he emphasized that when he asked for the dismissal of Gerapetritis, he did so with the sole criterion of the country, he spoke of a “mindset of appeasement” in national issues, adding that Greece is experiencing “complete isolation”.
Referring to the issue of the five-party conference, the foreign minister pointed out that, despite the complexity of the circumstances, “this is the right timing so that we can discuss and find a solution to the problems of the Eastern Mediterranean”, while regarding Turkey he stated that “despite the problems, we have found a functional relationship to avoid tensions”.
Tashkent, September 1955: Communists vs. Communists (Part I)