“It is obvious that summoning the US ambassador to the Foreign Ministry is unnecessary, insofar as the current competent Minister of Environment and Energy stated explicitly, in the context of parliamentary scrutiny, that there was absolutely no threat to our country”. This was stated in Parliament by the Foreign Minister, Giorgos Gerapetritis, referring to Mr. Papastavrou’s statements and denying reports concerning statements allegedly made by the American ambassador in Athens, Kimberly Guilfoyle, about the possibility of intervention in any country.
“Greece has managed to build a diplomatic footprint of consistency, determination and self-confidence; it is not on the sidelines of developments but is a leading player in them”, Mr. Gerapetritis said in response to independent MP, Sia Anagnostopoulou, who in her topical question argued that serious questions arise after Ms. Kimberly’s alleged statements and the threats about the possibility of intervention in any country -according to reports by the Wall Street Journal- as well as the two-day visit of the American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to Athens.
“It is a matter of national dignity for the American ambassador to be summoned and give explanations for the phrase she is alleged to have uttered at a dinner, an issue to which respected American newspapers are returning and reproducing”, Ms. Anagnostopoulou noted.
“The issue has been duly answered by the most relevant and competent person, namely the Minister of Environment himself, who was present at the discussion that is alleged to have taken place and answered in an extremely clear manner on October 2, saying that the issue of pressure or threat against our country was never raised.
Nor, of course, could such a thing ever be tolerated. Under this version, therefore, it is obvious that summoning the ambassador of the US to the Foreign Ministry is unnecessary, insofar as the current Minister of Environment and Energy stated explicitly in the context of parliamentary scrutiny that there was absolutely no threat”, stressed Mr. Gerapetritis.
And he added: “We would have followed the same tactic for any ambassador, and this is because a member of the government was present at the alleged incident, one who has obvious objective credibility. He appeared in the context of parliamentary scrutiny and made a statement that the alleged threat did not exist. Therefore, we all understand that there is no doubt whatsoever about the objective substance of what happened.
To summon an ambassador, to possibly create such a diplomatic situation while the minister present stated explicitly that there was no threat to our country, I think is entirely unnecessary”.
Responding, the head of Greek diplomacy, to the MP’s barbs about the results of Mr. Rubio’s visit to our country and the limits of bilateral relations between Greece and the US, pointed out that our country does not perceive the United States as a supplicant nor as an international patron:
“Especially from the visit of the American Secretary of State to Greece, Marco Rubio, what emerges, beyond any doubt, is that Greece does not perceive the United States as a supplicant nor as an international patron. On the contrary, Greece, with the economic strength it has acquired, with its defensive shielding, with its great diplomatic capital and with the projection of power -which was also evident during the visit of the American Secretary of State- is now an equal partner and ally even with the strongest powers on the planet”.
Mr. Gerapetritis was also categorical in response to Ms. Anagnostopoulou’s criticisms of Mr. Rubio’s speech at the Pnyx, arguing that “he projected the MAGA ideology and Trump’s notion of the triumph of national power against the backdrop of the Acropolis”.
“The Pnyx is the place where the Athenian Assembly gathered, the place that preeminently served freedom of expression and diversity of voices, and for this reason, in any case, I feel that we should be tolerant of everyone’s expression whether we agree or disagree”, he underlined.
At the same time, he rejected Ms. Anagnostopoulou’s insinuations that the benefits of Rubio’s visit are limited only to the American side from the defense agreement, countering that “it is an agreement that is part of Greece’s 20-year long-term defense planning”.
“The agreement reflects that Greece has decided to strengthen its defense because it understands that in these troubled times, being able to have self-sufficiency in its power is absolutely necessary, just as necessary as it is to build your diplomatic footholds. Greece has multiplied its international footholds both at the level of bilateral relations and at the level of multilateral relations and international organizations. It is particularly important that we be able to project Greek positions in the appropriate manner.
I think it became absolutely clear to the whole of Greek society from the statements, the appearances, the images we had during the two-day stay of the American Secretary of State, how the US perceives, but also how the international community as a whole perceives, Greece’s position in the international security architecture”, the minister stressed.
“Greece is a very strong pole because it has managed to build a diplomatic footprint of consistency, determination and self-confidence. And this has value for our country, to be able today to say that Greece is not on the sidelines of developments but is a leading player in them”, Mr. Gerapetritis concluded.
SOURCE: ANA-MPA