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Alexandra Papadopoulou, Greece’s ambassador to the U.S., spoke to an April 19th Middle East Forum Webinar (video) in an interview with MEF’s Washington Project director Cliff Smith about Greece’s relationship with key countries in the region. The following is a summary of her comments:
Flashpoints in the Eastern Mediterranean between Greece and Turkey under its current president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, are a source of tension between the two nations. The issues relate primarily to “the limitation of maritime zones” according to the international law of the sea, and the “sovereignty of the Greek islands.” With the “inflammatory” rhetoric of Turkish “irredentism,” respect for numerous treaties that have historically delineated borders, rights, and sovereignty between the two NATO allies is being eroded. The resurrection of “glories of the past or injustices” each side experienced in history is an exercise best left for historians and academics to debate, but in the political and governmental arenas, challenging the international rule of law is a ruinous path to conflict.
As Erdoğan is about to face a tight election, the harsh rhetoric by Turkish leaders could well be for electoral purposes only. Recently, Greece was the first to send a team to earthquake-ravaged Turkey as a show of solidarity and, in response, Turkey’s harsh tone has softened. As for disputes between the two, such as Turkey’s claim of limited maritime rights around Kastellorizo, one of over 2,000 Greek islands located between Greece and Cyprus, size and distance from the Greek mainland should not be the basis for depriving citizens of their national identity or rights of national sovereignty. Greece seeks a good relationship with Turkey, with common areas of interest, such as tourism, worth developing together. If a dispute over an island is turned over to the International Court to draw the lines of the maritime zones, Greece will accept the Court’s decision.
As NATO allies, Turkey and Greece can resolve disputes peacefully and avoid the pitfalls of countries that use threatening language to escalate grievances. Turkish foreign policy is not an issue for Greece, but Turkey, a big and important country, has complex relationships with other countries in the region where Turkey and the U.S. “do not see eye to eye.” Erdoğan had “boasted” that the U.S. presidential system was a framework he imitated for Turkey’s government, but the comparison is inaccurate when examining America’s system of checks and balances. The U.S. has a clear “distinction of powers” between the executive, legislative, and judiciary branches, whereas Erdoğan and his AKP party control the national assembly.
“We get the impression, especially through the Turkish press, and the Turkish press that reflects the government’s views, that it’s up to the president to persuade Congress, which is not the case.” The president does not interfere in the judiciary, nor can he dictate what Congressional members decide.
“The president and the administration can have a certain view about a certain issue, but they have to talk to Congress and the views of Congress are taken into consideration. So, when the administration tells the Turks, ‘Yes, we’re in favor of approving the sale of F-16,’ for the Turkish government, this is it. There is no other step in the way. But for the American government there is a huge step which is to take into consideration the views of Congress” and obtain Congress’s approval.
Greece is party to trilateral arrangements with several countries, including Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Armenia, and Serbia. Another such group is the 3+1 inter-parliamentary group. The latter comprises Greece, Cyprus, Israel, with the U.S. as observer. It promotes regional cooperation on policies related to civil protection, maritime security, the environment, climate, and energy to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the region. As each member is a free and democratic country, the cooperation among partners who share geopolitical principles and interests is enhanced. The 3+1 regional alliance includes “a parliamentarian aspect” comprising “six parliamentarians from Greece, Israel, [and] Cyprus,” along with six U.S. senators — the first time the U.S. Senate has participated in an arrangement of this kind. Although it is Papadopoulou’s “personal dream” to include Turkey in a “4+1" group, such an arrangement would require Turkey’s full acceptance of the rules of international law and order. In contrast, Russia is one country Greece has “no contacts” with, despite the close historic relations between the two, due to the former’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
Greek and Israeli security forces recently cooperated to foil a plot by a Pakistani terrorist “with purported links to Iran” to wage a terror attack on a kosher restaurant in Athens.
Greece’s relationship with Israel has expanded to include a bipartisan agreement to share in defense and intelligence matters. Greek and Israeli security forces recently cooperated to foil a plot by a Pakistani terrorist “with purported links to Iran” to wage a terror attack on a kosher restaurant in Athens. While Greece’s stance vis-à-vis the Palestinian issue aligns with the official European position of a two-state solution while ensuring Israel’s security needs, Greece is consistently in close communication with its Israeli partners.
The energy component of Greece’s interest in transitioning to renewable sources factors into its close relationship with Egypt, a country that imports gas from Israel. A promising development is Greece’s consideration of multiple projects with Egypt, which will transmit Egypt’s gas-generated electricity to Europe and the Western Balkans through Greece. Transmission of electricity to Europe addresses the continent’s need for clean energy, as “it’s much easier to have an electrical cable instead of having a big pipeline.”
An issue that affected Greece a decade ago but is still playing out across Europe is the Syrian refugee crisis. Although many Syrian refugees went through Greece to Europe, many live in Turkey, which receives EU funding as part of an assistance arrangement. Syrian refugees in Turkey are exploited by Turkish authorities who use them as a “weapon to blackmail” the EU and gain “political benefits.” People currently crossing the Aegean Sea to reach the EU are not Syrian refugees, because “the Syrian borders to Turkey are closed.” The immigration challenge today is one of economic migrants. While it is “understandable” that migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and African countries seek a better life, Greece supports the European position favoring legal immigration, but firmly opposing illegal entry.
A security issue that has dogged Greece is its inability to vet migrants without documentation. When compounded by the enormous support undocumented migrants require, the outcome is that these migrants live in inhumane conditions. Given its relatively small size, Greece does not have the capacity to absorb huge numbers of people, and different EU members have conflicting views on how best to address Europe’s immigration system. There is a consensus that any solution must be handled “in a unified way.”
