“Turkey is currently disturbed by Greece’s initiatives in the field — especially in energy developments and relations between Athens and Washington,” said Serres MP and Secretary of International Relations and EU of the New Democracy, Tasos Hatzivasileiouin an interview with Real FM.
Mr. Hatzivasiliou underlined that Ankara “has not yet managed to convince Washington” to acquire F-35s and other high-value defense equipment, while “it has not managed to include its pipelines in the European energy planning”. As he said, Turkey is seeing the use of the Blue Stream and Turkish Stream pipelines drop dramatically, which is “putting pressure on its energy narrative.”
Referring to the developments of the last few weeks, he noted that Greece has been upgraded geopolitically through the agreements with the USA and Ukraine, pointing out that “the parade of American ministers in Athens and the transformation of the country into an energy hub are the best answer to those who talked about the marginalization of Greece by the new American administration.”
Referring to Turkey’s provocative rhetoric, he assessed that Ankara is trying to entertain impressions at a time when “it has not achieved its strategic goals neither in the defense nor in the energy field”. He also emphasized that Greece, unlike Turkey, operates “as a responsible country that respects international conventions”.
Regarding Greek-Turkish relations, Mr. Hatzivasiliou estimated that “Erdogan has no interest in challenging Greece in the field”, as he seeks to improve the climate with the USA and remain in the European energy planning. At the same time, he noted that Ankara is concerned about the new Alexandroupoli-Odessa corridor, which “emerges as a safer corridor compared to the Straits”.
Finally, speaking about the agreement in Elefsina, he welcomed the Greek-American cooperation for the development of the city’s port. He also stated that Greece honors its strategic alliances, implements the international agreements it has signed, while at the same time exploiting the possibilities for the creation of “a new commercial and transit hub, for the benefit of the national economy and the wider region”.