Since the start of the crisis in the Middle East, Greece has extended its geopolitical and defense footprint to cover the needs of Cyprus, as well as responding to a request to assist in the air defense of Bulgaria, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday, during a discussion with journalist Francine Lacqua at the Bloomberg conference “Greek Energy: The new Era” in Athens.
“We were the first European country to send two frigates and four F-16 planes to respond to the call for help from our Cypriot brothers and at the same time we also responded to a request from our Bulgarian friends to help them with their air defense,” Mitsotakis said.
He stressed that Greece, in terms of strengthening its defense posture, has not only done its job but also encouraged other European countries to join in, thus sending a clear signal that the Eastern Mediterranean “should be a top priority area for Europe as a whole”, which he said was a positive step in the right direction.
Moving closer to the region of the Persian Gulf, he noted that Greece has consistently supported the EU operation “Aspides” with a mandate to protect freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa, though commenting that this has not been fully supported by all member states. He emphasised, however, that this is clearly defined geographically and does not extend to the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.
Therefore, he added, “the simple answer is no, Greece is not going to participate in any operation around the theatre of current operations and I doubt that there is much European appetite for such a mission right now.”
Asked what Greece would reply if it got a direct “ask” to participate, the prime minister repeated that Greece will “not engage in any activity in the broader area as long as there are military operations. We have been very clear from the beginning, we strengthen our defensive posture.” While Greece has a strong interest in the freedom of navigation, he added, with Greek ship owners greatly concerned about what is happening in the area, “unless there is a European-endorsed mission, Greece will not participate on its own,” adding that the likelihood of such a mission is very low.
According to Mitsotakis, Europe will not be drawn in militarily but “certainly needs to focus on the economic ramifications” of the crisis. He underlined the importance of the upcoming European summit and said that the repercussions for the economy and energy must be managed.
He also noted that this will be “a different story” if the crisis lasts a few weeks or if it drags on for months. Greece has been working actively for a rapid deescalation, he added. Greece does not consider that the issues in the Middle East can be resolved militarily, he said, but also does not consider that Iran should have nuclear weapons or threaten its neighbors.
Mitsotakis repeated that Europeans must focus on managing the consequences of what could become a very major energy shock, adding that no one can predict the end of the conflict while expressing hope that it will not be protracted. The longer the conflict continues, he said, “the downside risks are considerably greater than the upside benefits.”
The Prime Minister pointed out that the way Europe managed the energy crisis in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine needs to be analyzed in detail – what went well and what did not work during that period.
He stressed that it is very important for Europe to have a plan of short-term and medium-term measures, ready to be activated if needed to support businesses and consumers with energy prices.
Mitsotakis added that, looking at the price of electricity, it should be emphasized that Greece’s performance has been “remarkable” and a great validation of the country’s energy strategy. “We want to invest heavily in renewables, we need natural gas as our baseload power and in the long-term we would be open to consider other technologies,” he said, pointing to a strong performance in wind energy in the first quarter, and emphasising hydroelectric power. Greece was able to keep prices low, he added, and is becoming a significant net exporter of electricity – something that has never happened before and is a major success. He also said that the policy of maintaining low prices sends a message about how we should shape our future energy mix.
Regarding the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, he said that beyond the geopolitical risk, the blocking of the flow of oil is a major problem and no one knows how long the crisis will last. In Greece, he added, the consequences have not been apparent because energy policy has been effective, but it is important to see how the situation evolves, especially with regard to diesel prices, which could affect inflation.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the structural problems in Europe’s energy policy, highlighting the usefulness of interventions to strengthen competitiveness, and noting that Europe needs to import energy. At this point, he referred to the start of exploration for oil and gas in Greece and also underlined the need to examine the prospects for development in the clean energy sector at the European level, without undermining the competitiveness of European industry in the process.
Mitsotakis also referred to Greece’s interest in exploring nuclear energy as a possible future solution for clean and affordable energy in the long term and emphasised the importance of Greece’s role as an energy hub, especially in terms of grid interconnections within Greece and abroad, highlighting the benefits of establishing many interconnected grids in Europe.
In response to questions about inflation and high prices, he pointed to measures taken to lower taxes and support available incomes, including interventions in the market, such as a cap on profit margins in the fuel supply chain. While noting that, as a liberal politician, he does not like such measures, which he stressed would be temporary, when they were necessary it was important to make sure that no one tries to take advantage of crises to raise prices beyond what was justifiable.
“I do believe the fact that we have a stable government with a strong majority in Parliament is a big asset right now,” Mitsotakis said in response to other questions, saying he could not imagine what would happen if he needed to negotiate with the opposition about sending ships to Cyprus.
Commenting on opinion polls, he said ND appears to be the only party with a credible plan for the country, while the opposition is in “disarray” and concerned only with getting rid of the government, without offering any alternative.
The prime minister also referred to the protection of minors using social media and other action to protect minors from exposure to various risks, saying that announcements regarding this issue will be made soon, while also referring to AI and dealing with deepfake content.
source ANA-MPA