287 Posts in Politics

Miami-based businessman Stefanos Kasselakis, 35, stunned party veterans when he won the leadership in late September in a primary-style contest. But he has failed so far to halt the party’s decline in popularity in the wake of a crushing general election defeat in June. Syriza has since dropped to third place behind Socialist opponents in opinion polls, boosting the dominance of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ conservative government. On Thursday, Effie Achtsioglou, a former Syriza labor minister, led the walkout as nine lawmakers declared themselves independent. They joined the former finance minister Euclid Tsakalotos and another colleague who quit on Nov. 11 – reducing the number of seats held by Syriza in the election from 47 to 36 in the 300-member parliament. Critics of the new leader have described him as intolerant of dissent and unable to reach a policy consensus in the historically fractured party. Under the charismatic former prime minister Alexis Tsipras, Syriza’s was transformed from a small political organization to a governing party during a major financial crisis in the previous decade that brought Greece to the brink of bankruptcy. Tsipras, who led the country between 2015 and 2019, railed against harsh policies imposed by international bailout lenders but fell out of favor with voters as the country climbed out of recession. He resigned following his third successive general election defeat. Voters’ return to mainstream parties following 3 successive international bailouts has been more uneven on the left. The hardline Greek Communist Party has roughly doubled its support over the last four years to reach 10% in recent polls. The resignations in Athens were matched at the European Parliament, where Syriza has lost several lawmakers, including veteran politician Dimitris Papadimoulis, a vice president of the assembly, would quit the party Thursday. In a party statement, Syriza said many of the dissenters has ignored repeated and public invitations made by Kasselakis to join him in reforming the party. Their actions, the statement said, “will be judged by history.”

"The Greek government had promptly suggested and urgently raised the need for a humanitarian pause and the creation of viable humanitarian corridors. In this direction, we had taken all the necessary actions," he noted. "There should now be, in implementation of the agreement, an immediate and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid and the provision of medical care to those who need it, as well as intensifying the effort for definitive peace in the region," he concluded.   Gerapetritis in Madrid for EU Med-9 summit The Minister of Foreign Affairs George Gerapetritis will travel to Madrid on Wednesday in order to participate in the first meeting of foreign ministers of the Euro-Med Group Med-9, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The situation in the Middle East and cooperation with the countries of the Southern Neighborhood are on the agenda of the meeting.

The "realization of the European ambitions of Western Balkan countries is particularly important," he said, "but the European Union must show the political will to bring the Western Balkan countries into the European family, and these countries must also incorporate the European acquis in the technical parts." Greece believes firmly to the political position that the European family should integrate the Western Balkans, reiterated the minister, but the conditions required "for a European Union which will be strong, resilient, inclusive, and revitalized" should also be met, he pointed out.

“This is about us … exercising what is a right that we can simply not outsource to smugglers,” he said, speaking at a meeting of 9 southern EU States in Malta on migration. “Currently it is the smugglers who decide who gets to enter the European Union and this must change.” Mitsotakis said EU members should focus on repatriating people who are not entitled to asylum, while at the same time providing organized legal migration pathways. Leaders attending the Malta meeting called for the EU to finalize a new migration and asylum deal, and to beef up efforts to prevent departures from North Africa as another shipwreck drama unfolded off Libya’s coast. A joint statement issued at the end of a one-day meeting said the needs of front-line countries – such as Italy – that receive the vast majority of migrants, must be “adequately met.” It said the European Union as a bloc must strengthen its response by beefing up surveillance operations of Europe’s external borders to prevent departures and break up human trafficking networks. In addition to Greece, the one-day huddle also included host Malta, as well as Croatia, Cyprus, France, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. Slovenia and Croatia, which have coastlines on the Adriatic Sea, were added to the so-called “Med Group” in 2021. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel also attended the meeting, which came ahead of next week’s informal gathering of the EU’s 27 nations in Granada, Spain. Meanwhile, the German humanitarian rescue group Sea-Watch released a video apparently showing a Libyan coast guard boat nearing a migrant boat, and then some 50 people falling into the water. Sea-Watch said the Libyan coast guard “rammed” the migrant boat, and then took the survivors aboard another ship. Aid groups and human rights organizations have denounced the EU’s deal with Libya to finance the Libyan coast guard so it can increase patrols to bring migrants back to Libya. The U.N. has said abuses are rife at Libyan migrant detention camps. The EU recently inked a similar deal with Tunisia, which has taken over as the primary point of departure for smugglers’ boats. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said she was pleased with the “convergence” of views at the summit, given recent differences over the migration dossier with France and Germany. And she said she hoped the Tunisia deal will soon get off the ground, with the first tranche of EU funding due to arrive next week. “The summit repeats that the path to follow … is the fight against illegal immigration, an all-out fight against traffickers and going to the cause of the migration phenomenon,” Meloni said at the end of the summit. Host Robert Abela, the Maltese prime minister, said the EU needed to speed up the time it takes to repatriate migrants whose asylum bids fail. Currently, the lack of repatriation accords with countries of origin allows many migrants to simply fade away and head north in search of family and work. “But ultimately the issue needs to be tackled at source. To help achieve that, we underline the need to urgently build more robust, comprehensive partnerships with all our partners in the southern Mediterranean,” Abela said, The Malta meeting comes as a deadline approaches for the bloc to approve a comprehensive migration and asylum reform or risk it unravelling. Under current EU rules, the nation where asylum-seekers arrive must shelter them while their applications are processed. Front-line countries like Italy have said the deal puts an undue burden on them, but little progress has been made in the three years since a new EU pact was unveiled. Member states bicker over which country should take charge of migrants when they arrive and whether other countries should be obligated to help, debates that have fueled doubt as to whether an overhaul is possible before European elections in June. For the pact to get through, officials and lawmakers say, an agreement on all 10 parts of the plan must be sealed by February. A new European Commission and European Parliament will start work next year and they may want to modify the pact, raising the risk that it might unravel. In the final statement from Malta, the leaders called for EU States “to step up negotiations” to reach an agreement “before the end of the current legislative term.”

Greece has repeatedly condemned the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants against Israel and believes its historical ties with the Arab world give it credibility as an honest broker. "I am in constant communication with both parties and I am relatively optimistic that we could have some positive results soon," said the minister, who met Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki in Ramallah and Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen in Jerusalem on Thursday. With world powers anxious to coordinate help for Palestinians in Gaza during Israel's bombardment and siege, Gerapetritis said he believed Israel was considering allowing increased aid and was keen to hear all possible options. Cyprus has made a proposal, which Greece endorses, to open a maritime corridor to expand capacity for relief into the Palestinian enclave beyond the Rafah crossing from Egypt. Another alternative is via a port in Israel then a northern entry point into Gaza, Gerapetritis said. "The fastest way is the best way," he added, stressing that a humanitarian pause in fighting was essential. Israel's right to self-defence was respected but must conform to international law and humanitarian values, Gerapetritis added, while the Palestinian people should be clearly differentiated from Hamas. "We cannot put up with the situation in Gaza," he said. "It's the humanitarian moral values that we have to embrace, all of us, and we have to do it immediately." After the war, he said, governance of Gaza must be "highly legitimized" and opposed to terrorism. Asked about a possible influx of refugees, he said Greece was prepared, referring to a recent asylum pact agreed between European Union states, and would be willing to receive injured people. Handling migration flows has been a tough task for Greece, an EU border, which received more than a million migrants and refugees in 2015-2016 who reached its shores from Turkey. Greece and Turkey, historic rivals while also NATO allies, will discuss the issue in a summit in Athens next month, which is expected to yield some agreements. With Turkey labelling Israel a terror state, the Gaza conflict is another issue differentiating the two neighbours, but this should not hinder dialogue, Gerapetritis said. "This should not prohibit us from discussing our problems and to setting forth in the agenda some win-win projects," he said.

The Greek minister was speaking during his participation in the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels. Additionally, Gerapetritis also proposed the need for initiatives to restore basic networks and secure essential goods. He also stressed that the same principles must be applied in all cases of aggression, violation of sovereignty and terrorism. Gerapetritis underlined the need to create sustainable humanitarian corridors, so that there is a continuous flow of aid. He also noted the importance of setting up desalination plants for the mass production of drinking water. It is understandable that the humanitarian ceasefire is not enough, he said, but that it is necessary and realistic at this stage, even if it only happens in a small scale, he added. This could generate a momentum for ending the hostilities, he pointed out.

The meeting was held at the Turkish defence ministry, in a positive climate, with both delegations comprising ambassadors and high-ranking military officials, among other senior officials, said the Greek defence ministry in an announcement. The two sides agreed in principle to implement or reactivate CBM activity in 2024 based on a pre-agreed CBM list, it was added. They also agreed to set up a Point of Contact mechanism in view of communicating and facilitating the implementation of agreed CBMs. The next meeting will be hosted by Greece, it was noted. In its own announcement, the Turkish defence ministry noted that the meeting was cordial, and that Greece will indeed host the next meeting.

Umbrella, a faction led by Euclid Tsakalotos, a former Finance Minister during Syriza’s government of 2015-19, announced its departure with a blistering statement that accused party leader Stefanos Kasselakis of “Trumpian practices (and) right-leaning populism.” The once-dominant party has been in disarray ever since its resounding defeat by conservative New Democracy in double elections in May and June. Already in opposition since 2019, Syriza had hoped to regain power. Instead, it was roundly disavowed, falling in the most recent election to 17.8%, compared to New Democracy’s 40.6%, a result that led longtime leader Alexis Tsipras to announce his resignation. The split, which came after weeks of withering criticism of the leader from within the party, became inevitable in recent days, when Kasselakis insisted he wanted to expel three prominent members of the Umbrella faction, all former ministers. When it became clear he might not get his way with party organs, Kasselakis said he would put the question to a referendum among party members. This proposal drew a rebuke even among his allies. In a tumultuous session of the party’s Central Committee Saturday, Kasselakis’ confrontational speech was often interrupted with boos and shouts of “shame!” Umbrella, as well as supporters of Effie Achtsioglou, Kasselakis’ main rival in last September’s leadership election, left before the session was over. Kasselakis won the leadership election that followed Syriza’s defeat at the polls in September. A political neophyte and US resident, with no connection to the party before he became a candidate for the May election, he came out of nowhere to win the contest. A four-minute video in which he told his life story shot him to prominence and made him the favorite. Kasselakis’ style, based on social media presence and charisma, and his past as a former Goldman Sachs employee and shipowner, rankled with old-school leftists, who were also incensed with some of his positions, such as advocating stock options for employees, and his overall ideological vagueness. They openly derided him for his “post-politics” and one prominent party person even compared him with former US President Donald Trump and Italian comedian Bepe Grillo, founder of a populist political party. The new leader’s supporters, in turn, accused their rivals of having conspired to undermine former leader Tsipras in the run-up to the disastrous elections and even for years before. The current opinion polls, which show Syriza in a tight race for second place with the socialist Pasok party, intensified the malaise within Syriza. Although the Umbrella supporters have not clarified their future plans, they are expected to form a new left-wing political party. They also have the backing of most of Syriza’s youth wing. Achtsioglou, who leads her own faction, called 6+6, has decided to stay in Syriza, but her own relations with her leader are poisoned. She and her group issued their own statement Sunday, after the left’s departure, slamming Kasselakis’ “deeply offensive and divisive speech” and accusing him of using the vocabulary of the alt-right. A further split of the party cannot be ruled out.  

"We came to Greece because it is a very important country for us, for its relations with the Middle East," he noted, "and we believe that it will help in every way possible so that Israeli hostages held by Hamas since October 7th return home." The 2 families visiting Athens are only 2 of the 242 families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas, who have decided to make the case of their detained relatives as broadly known as is possible. At the press conference, they also presented images of their loved ones taken from still frames in video footage sent to them by Hamas, it was noted. "We want to find a way to a peaceful life with the Palestinians," said 26-year-old Eli David, whose 30-year-old-brother Eviatar's whereabouts are unknown since October 7th, the day Hamas attacked Israel. He was replying to a question by Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) as to what they would want the next day for Israelis and Palestinians to be. "Our problem is with Hamas and what they did is unacceptable. It is unacceptable in both political and humanitarian terms," he pointed out. Ram Aviram is the moderator of the NGO 'Missing Persons Family Forum". In related news, Hellenic Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday spoke on the phone with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and the humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. According to government sources, Mitsotakis reiterated Greece's position for the condemnation of Hamas' terrorism and Israel's right to self defence. He also expressed his concern for the protection of the civilians in the Gaza Strip, noting that humanitarian ceasefires should exist as well as a continuous flow of the necessary humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Relatives of Hamas hostages held in Gaza are visiting Greece in order to raise awareness among the Greek public about the situation of their loved ones. Galia and Eli David, mother and brother of 22-year-old Eviatar David, and Orit and Aviram Meir, mother and uncle of Almog Meir, were present at the event organized on Sunday night by the Central Jewish Council and the Jewish Community of Athens at the Concert Hall. Outside the hall where the event took place, 242 chairs were symbolically placed, each of which has a stolen photo on it. The central slogan is "#bring them home". In related news, a concert and rally commenced on Sunday around noon in support of the Palestinian people in Syntagma Square, Athens. The Palestinian Ambassador to Greece, Yussef Dorkhom greeted the crowds and participating artists. “Palestine, Gaza and the Palestinian people thank you for your solidarity and humanity,” said Dorkhom to the people gathered in the Syntagma. The rally was organized by PAME, the labor union affiliated with the Communist Party, under the slogan “Solidarity to the people of Palestine.” After the concert, a protest march to the Embassy of Israel took  place. Furthermore, the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Sunday that an airplane will depart Monday morning with humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip. “Following the arrangements made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Egyptian authorities, a C-130 aircraft with a cargo of humanitarian aid destined for the civilians of the Gaza Strip will depart today, at 09:30. The Greek humanitarian aid includes pharmaceutical and medical supplies which were collected following arrangements made by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Health and with the support of the Panhellenic Union of Pharmaceutical Industry,” the Ministry said. Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis reiterated that the Greek foreign policy in the Middle East is a policy of principles, international law and national interest, in an interview with the Sunday newspaper VIMA. Greece has a very important international capital. "It has been won with the consistent, sincere and undivided position that we have followed in the last years and that's the reason why we can be credible interlocutors not only for the countries of the region but for all the governments and the international organisations and this is what we will continue to do. Our position is the same and in Ukraine and in the Middle East. It is a stance of principle. We are against any aggressiveness and any revisionism". Gerapetritis also clarified that Greece will not get involved in any war conflict and in parallel will do whatever possible to have a creative and active diplomacy aiming to reduce the tension and restore peace in the Middle East and in Ukraine.  Speaking on crisis in the Middle East, Gerapetritis noted that from the first moment Greece held a crystal clear position, "Any terror action, any violent action any inhumane treatment should be condemned by all and entirely. We also said that the civilians should be protected and humanitarian channels should be created in order for the humanitarian aid to get into Gaza and people to have access to the essential goods". In parallel, he reassured that Greece is, even today, continuing the efforts, with constant contacts with the Arab world and with Israel, "to ensure that the civilians will be protected and for the biggest possible humanitarian aid to reach the stricken, mostly in Gaza" and this will continue to be Greece's stance" adding that "the dead do not have nationality". Greece is, "neither involved in military operations nor has it been asked to become involved," noted National Defense Minister Nikos Dendias in an interview to Parapolitika newspaper on Saturday. Permitting the use of Greek military airfields, " - beyond the terms of Greece's defense agreement with the US - was allowed for transport aircraft as well as for support helicopters and personnel," he added. These will be used for humanitarian purposes, "i.e. for evacuations and transportation of US citizens or Greeks if required." Concerning the use of Greek navy ships, Dendias added that these "had already participated -  before Hamas' attack- in three operations in the Mediterranean: one by the EU, by NATO and the UN respectively." In the case of the UN, he noted, "it concerns the peacekeeping operation in Lebanon, but for security reasons the Greek frigate will be moved tens of miles from the coast of the country." Greece's participation in these operations, "combined with the defense agreements it has signed, practically proves its geopolitical role in the region." It is "with this perspective in mind that our participation should be interpreted, and not as a factor of concern." On Greek-Turkish relations, Dendias noted that "if Ankara wishes to see a real turning of a page in our relations it knows what it must do, in both action and words, guided by International Law and the International Law of the Sea." Greece is "ready to respond in this case. In any case, however, complacency is not allowed, especially in today's fragile geopolitical balances in our broader region," he added. Moreover, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides Sunday to discuss the situation in Gaza and, specifically, Cyprus’ proposal to create a sea corridor for humanitarian assistance. Blinken’s early afternoon visit was not announced ahead of his arrival for security reasons. Christodoulides had only said that he would go to Larnaca airport for a visit related, “to our country’s efforts related to the crisis in our region.”               “Meeting was held between @PresidentCYP and US Secretary of State @SecBlinken on unfolding developments in the Middle East, incl. on a dedicated, one-way maritime corridor of sustained flow of humanitarian aid from #Cyprus to civilians in Gaza,” Cyprus Government Spokesman Letymbiotis tweeted on his account, along with a photo of Christodoulides and Blinken on the airport tarmac.        

The date of the declarations’ publication was moved following reactions from newspapers, many of which do not publish on Mondays.  The declarations, commonly known as “pothen esches” in Greek and designed to root out corruption, will be published in the same form as they were submitted, without having been audited.    They pertain to the assets of MPs, Euro MPs and regional and local government officials.

Mitsotakis met Chinese President Xi Jinping, Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang and the Chairman of the National People's Congress of China Zhao Leji, with talks focusing on bilateral relations on both an economic and cultural level. The Greek premier particularly emphasised the role that Greece can play as a bridge between China and Europe, while praising China's role on the international scene. In the meeting with Xi Jinping, Mitsotakis highlighted the recent economic growth in Greece and expressed his satisfaction that two Chinese credit rating agencies had upgraded Greece's rating. The Greek prime minister's comments were as follows: "I thank you for your kind words and your cordial reception. Allow me to start by relaying the greetings of our president, Mrs Katerina Sakellaropoulou. It has been four years since you last visited Athens - it was an important meeting - and it is true that much has happened in these four years. Our country has made significant progress and we are now sure that the difficult years of the economic crisis are behind us. Also, it makes us particularly happy that two of the biggest Chinese rating agencies have upgraded Greece's rating. "As you pointed out, Greece and China have a strong relationship, a strong economic relationship. The Piraeus port indicates this. It was a successful investment for both sides and we look forward to its further extension. Of course, there are significant margins for improving our trade relations so that more Greek products enter the Greek market and more Chinese visitors come to Greece. "I would also like to especially emphasise the cultural exchanges between our two countries. The culture minister of Greece was in Beijing a few days ago. Greece and China, as two ancient civilisations, have much to share with the world and much to learn from one another." Mitsotakis said he was glad that the Chinese president likewise acknowledge the importance of the cultural ties with Greece and said he looked forward to soon welcoming him in Greece once again. During the meetings with Chinese officials, the premier reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, noting that these were "strong and mutually beneficial" and discussed ways to further enhance them, especially in the sectors of the economy, trade, tourism and culture. Among others, he particularly emphasised increasing Greek exports to China, especially of agriculture products, and boosting tourism, so that arrivals of Chinese tourists return to pre-pandemic levels. There was also an exchange of views on China's relations with the EU, with the prime minister repeating Athens' position in favour of open channels of communication between the EU and China and noting that it was in the mutual interest of all sides that this relationship be stable and constructive. In addition to noting Greece's potential role as a bridge between China and the EU, he expressed his conviction that Europe needs strategic autonomy to face global geopolitical challenges. He also stressed the need for EU-China cooperation in dealing with major global challenges such as climate change and the UN sustainable development goals. Discussing matters of regional and international interest with China's leadership, Mitsotakis underlined the important role that China can play in preserving world peace and the resolution of global crises, such as the war in Ukraine, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. He also repeated Greece's standing position in support of a peaceful resolution of differences on the basis of international law. Greece and China sign bilateral aviation agreement Earlier, a new Bilateral Greece-China Aviation Agreement was signed in Beijing on Friday, as part of the official visit by Infrastructure and Transport Minister Christos Staikouras to China. The updated aviation agreement, which will replace that of 1973, is expected to enhance the transport of goods and passengers between the two countries and is fully compatible with European Union law, as well as the Horizontal EU-China Aviation Agreement that provides for the possibility of multiple appointments of airline companies by each side, the transport ministry said.