The company tasked with the Greece–Cyprus electricity interconnector sought authorisation only from Greece and Cyprus, the two countries concerned by the cable. After the NAVTEX was issued, Turkey issued a “counter-NAVTEX”. The issuance of the “counter-NAVTEX” alone effectively refutes the arguments of those who said the government was making concessions and allowing Turkey to call the shots. If Turkey had been satisfied, it would not have needed to issue a “counter-NAVTEX”.
This was the point made by Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis in an interview today with television station Action 24. “Without pursuing foreign policy for domestic consumption, the government has proceeded with a partial delimitation of the EEZ with Egypt and a full delimitation with Italy. It is strengthening cooperation with Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and the US, and has signed two mutual defence assistance agreements with France. It has advanced maritime spatial planning and designated marine parks in the Aegean. The Vertical Corridor from Alexandroupolis, which will supply the region with liquefied natural gas, is moving ahead, as is exploration for hydrocarbons. Add to that the Belharra frigates, Rafale jets and F-35s that we have secured and Turkey has not. So we have a policy that delivers results without shouting or fuss, while on the other side, from certain quarters at home, there is constant questioning that bears no relation to reality,” he said, adding:
“We are monitoring everything. The country has its alliances and is a member state of the European Union. Let us not forget that this is a European project partly funded by the EU. We are moving forward without populism, but with a firm defence of our national interests. We respond through action, and I do not think any government in the recent past has achieved so much in foreign policy and defence in such a short time,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
US elections
Asked about the US elections, Kostis Hatzidakis said: “Greece is a member of NATO. In that capacity, and bilaterally, it cooperates with the United States. I want to recall that when Mr Trump was elected, there were voices here saying Greece would be in a difficult position and would be marginalised. That did not happen. The Vertical Corridor and energy agreements more broadly prove exactly the opposite. Whatever the outcome of any election, we have stable relations with the US and want to keep them that way. This is all the more important because we are in a sensitive neighbourhood and cannot afford to lose allies. Greece has traditionally maintained ties with the Democratic Party, too. Representatives from both parties have now been elected, including a senator, who are Greek-Americans. I am not saying there is no cause for concern. There are specific difficulties and uncertainties, but Greece has strengthened its position by following a serious course and can strengthen it further by continuing along the same path”.
On the political climate taking shape as the elections approach, the Deputy Prime Minister highlighted the toxicity developing between opposition parties and between them and the government. “Clearly, we have our differences. But we can defend what we believe in without going to extremes. Not for reasons of decorum, but because politics must also have an educational role. And because the country needs at least a minimum level of consensus. It is grotesque that Mr Tsipras passed the law on simple proportional representation because, supposedly, he believed in consensus, only for his colleagues to turn on one another and scrap the initiative themselves,” Mr Hatzidakis said.
On tackling lawlessness, he said the government and the relevant agencies were making continuous efforts, citing specific examples from recent years, including the dismantling of tax evasion rings and action on beach management and urban planning authorities, among other areas. “I was a minister myself in 2023, when the effort on beaches began and we held tenders centrally and online, so there would be no gangs with hired muscle. At the time, I introduced 11 separate initiatives to tackle tax evasion and link POS terminals to the IAPR. By contrast, the issue of the Criminal Code, which Parliament reopened to make penalties lighter even though it had been dissolved and Mr Tsipras had announced elections, raises a deeply political issue and a matter of moral discredit. The Justice Minister at the time, Mr Kontonis, has spoken out, citing three separate cases. We brought all this up in our own defence. Self-restraint never harms democracies. The country has many issues to deal with in foreign policy and more broadly, and it has been repeatedly scarred by divisions, even civil wars. So, for our children, we must prepare the ground for a truly modern, European country. But all sides must contribute to that,” the minister said.
On incidents at universities, he said: “Violence is condemnable and unacceptable in every case. It cannot be acceptable when it comes from the far left and unacceptable when it comes from the far right. We cannot continue with this kind of thinking. Nor can violence be tolerated more generally, either by the state or by the university authorities. The framework governing university asylum was radically changed in 2019; the Police have intervened repeatedly since then, and the relevant provisions were tightened further last year. The law provides that once all the required security systems are in place, penalties will apply not only to those involved in the disturbances but also to the university authorities. So the framework is there, and it is our duty to apply it without concessions. Anyone who visits universities elsewhere in Europe will not see things like this. We must therefore move ahead as decisively as possible,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
Finally, on high prices, he said that demonstrations in European countries showed the issue was international, not just a Greek one, contrary to what some people in Greece believe. “The government is using every available option. But we also want to meet our obligations to the European Union—not to be good boys, but because, after everything that happened in the past decade, if there is a crisis in the bond market and we break the rules, we will plunge the country into difficulty. At the same time, we are asking the EU for greater flexibility. Another step will be taken in ferry services to contain ticket prices; the measures will be announced in due course. Meanwhile, our policy on petrol, diesel and heating oil is updated every fortnight”.