The government is taking up the challenge posed by opposition accusations over national issues and seeking to hit back.Maximos Mansion’s aim is to preserve one of its strongest comparative advantages, as it sees it. It believes it continues to enjoy a high level of credibility with the public on this issue, as reflected in opinion polls, and has no intention of allowing that perception to change.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis made the message clear in his weekly post yesterday, arguing that in the face of the revisionist claims of neighbouring countries, Greece responds with strong alliances across the Arab world, dialogue and legally binding agreements that safeguard national interests. The prime minister insisted that this strategy requires patience, preparation and consistency, arguing that its results are the most substantive response both to domestic critics and to those seeking to impose faits accomplis at the country’s expense.
The government is making a similar case to the opposition in response to the reactions sparked by the agreement concerning St Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai.
Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis, responding to criticism from PASOK, described the agreement as historically significant, noting that it is supported by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Patriarchates of Alexandria and Jerusalem, and the Churches of Greece and Cyprus.
The government does not want the discussion to be confined solely to Sinai, but is seeking to place the issue within a broader narrative about Greece’s diplomatic presence, the strengthening of its international support and its firm commitment to international law in response to Turkey’s challenges.
Patriot battery
This includes yesterday’s visit by the prime minister to Saudi Arabia and his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Athens is presenting the deepening of strategic cooperation with Riyadh as a clear example of the alliance-building policy it is seeking to pursue across the wider region.
The meeting reaffirmed cooperation in defence, energy and connectivity, while particular importance is attached to the decision to continue Greece’s contribution to Saudi Arabia’s air defence through the Patriot battery, which has been in the country since 2021.
The government’s case also draws on a series of recent moves, which Maximos Mansion — despite objections even from the two former prime ministers, Antonis Samaras and Kostas Karamanlis — presents as evidence that the defence of sovereign rights is not confined to rhetoric.
At the centre is Maritime Spatial Planning, which for the first time sets out the country’s potential maritime limits with EU endorsement. The same approach is reflected in plans for Marine Parks in accordance with the Law of the Sea, the expansion of Chevron’s exploration south of Crete and Athens’ continued response to Turkish NAVTEX notices and other moves it considers challenges to Greek sovereignty.
The government also emphasises the European dimension of national issues. It points out that Turkey was excluded from the European SAFE defence programme while it continues to maintain its casus belli, and presents the creation of the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Centre, with Greece, Cyprus, Israel and the United States participating, as another sign of the strengthening of the country’s geopolitical position.