What does Greece gain from the defense agreement with the USA?
The fact that the Greece-US Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement is multiple for our country is obvious and autonomous. If nothing else, because many other European countries seek to conclude similar agreements or to improve the previous ones, while Greece has acquired the role of the privileged interlocutor and partner of the USA in the region of Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean. Also, a fundamental condition is that the Agreement will be revised every 5 years, with an equal right for each party to terminate the contract – if this is deemed necessary.
In addition, with this Agreement, the United States is expanding the defense support it offers to Greece, both temporally and spatially. In this context, the camps in Volos and Alexandroupolis are utilized, as well as the shooting range in Litochoro. However, even more impressive is the upgrade of Souda’s strategic role in Crete. This is the only anchorage in the Eastern Mediterranean that can be approached by the American aircraft carrier.
But, of course, the most important element of the Agreement is its essence. That is, the fact that the common will of Greece and the USA for the mutual protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country against any threat is certified, with a valid international treaty – even if this threat, the non-genuine one, takes its form. armed attack. Thus, everyone can understand the importance of a Defense Cooperation Agreement between Greece and the United States and the comparative advantage that our country acquires -even in terms of prestige- in relation to Turkey, for example.
Any discussion on the subject, let alone a political confrontation, is in fact meaningless, especially in the current geopolitical context, with a war being waged on the eastern border of Europe. The negative consequences of which we all experience in our daily lives. The fact that the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was forced to argue in favor of the Agreement a few days ago in Parliament, clearly in the hypocrisy of SYRIZA.
If the country had a serious and organized opposition and not a faction that comes and goes from an unrepentant populist, an adventurous politician like Mr. Tsipras, then instead of a long analysis in Parliament on the ratification of the Agreement, it will use the time. us much more constructively. Because, as Kyriakos Mitsotakis solemnly proved, citing statements by the former US ambassador to Greece, Mr. Jeffrey Payat, it was Mr. Tsipras and SYRIZA who pointed out points in the Greek territory for the development of defense facilities of the American armed forces. In retrospect, of course, Mr. Tsipras believes that he can make fun of the Greek people and market the stale but anti-Americanism of the 1980s.
On the other hand, the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis is taking a steady step towards the decisive strengthening of the national arsenal. At the same time, with diplomatic and economic alliances, the Prime Minister is leading the way in upgrading the geostrategic position of Greece and the emergence of our country as a protagonist of the developments in the wider Mediterranean region.
Based on tangible evidence, it turns out that no previous government supports the national defense of the homeland more and more substantially than that of the New Democracy. First, in less than 3 years of rule we have the territorial waters of the country in the Ionian at 12 kilometers. We signed the Exclusive Economic Zone delimitation agreement with Italy and a similar partial EEZ delimitation agreement with Egypt. Agree in principle with Albania that we will sign a joint agreement and go to the International Court of Justice in The Hague in order to finally resolve the issue of delimitation of the EEZ.
At the same time, Greece has expanded its network of alliances to the wider Eastern Mediterranean basin, with a number of successes in the diplomatic field. Our relations with Israel but also Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates etc. they have never been better. The culmination of our efforts is the Defense Cooperation Agreement – and in particular with a mutual assistance clause – with France. Let us not forget that an agreement of this kind was the demand of all the Greek governments of the post-colonial period. In fact, the relevant issue had been raised by Konstantinos Karamanlis himself.
It is clear, then, that for Kyriakos Mitsotakis and New Democracy, the national government is a matter of absolute and critical priority. On the other hand, the irresponsibility and hypocrisy of the official opposition will always expose those who embrace its policy, not Greece. The New Democracy, from its President to the last executive, is deleted out of concern for the protection of the sovereign rights of the homeland. It is the only faction that fully understands, in depth, but also with a perspective of the future, our national interests.
* ND Parliamentary Representative, Member of the Southern Sector
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