Greece’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Aglaia Balta. [Reuters]
Greece continues its delicate diplomatic balancing act in dealing with the war in the Middle East, given its close alliance with the US, its strategic relationship with Israel, its membership in NATO and the EU, and its deepening relations with Egypt as well as Arab countries in the Gulf that are directly impacted by the conflict like Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
In addition, as a nonpermanent member of the United Nations Security Council, it has been part of the diplomatic efforts taking place in New York to come up with a workable and widely acceptable plan to keep open the Strait of Hormuz; the waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman which is vital for one fifth of the world’s oil and gas reaching the global markets.
In this context, and in close coordination with one of the Security Council’s permanent members, France – in three weeks President Macron will visit Athens – Greek diplomacy played a role in moderating the language of a proposed resolution supported by a number of Arab states, invoking the right of UN members to resort to violence.
Athens is not involved in the war; it has rather been among those that support the end of the hostilities.
Its actions on the military side have been confined to operations that are purely defensive in nature. Greece’s Patriot air-defense systems inside its territory are assisting in the protection of not only Greece itself, but also of some of its neighbors, including Turkey and Bulgaria, while Patriot batteries it had provided in the past to Saudi Arabia are obviously defensive systems to enhance the security of countries in the region.
The ministers of Foreign Affairs and National Defense have been traveling extensively in the area highlighting Greece’s diplomatic input.
Navigating the present regional minefield is not an easy task as the conflict has challenged relations among nations with whom Greece has developed important security as well as trade cooperation.