Greek Foreign Minister Yorgos Katrungalos. File photoATHENA, May 10.Greece's largest opposition party, the Coalition of Radical Left SYRIZA, will vote against amendments to the Greek-US Mutual Defense Agreement, as they transfer military bases on Greek territory to the Americans in perpetuity. This was stated by the representative of the party, former Foreign Minister Yorgos Katrungalos, during a discussion in the parliamentary committee of the bill on ratification of the agreement. The agreement was signed on October 14, 2021, it provides for the transfer of four more bases by the United States to previously provided bases, including near the port of Alexandroupolis in the north of the country. The document was submitted for ratification ahead of the visit of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the United States.Media: US puts pressure on Greece demanding to transfer weapons to Ukraine»Mitsotakis gave what the Americans demanded from all prime ministers of the post-war era, and no one gave. Neither Karamanlis, nor Papandreou, nor Simitis, nor Samaras, and obviously not us: indefinite presence of American bases in Greece,» Katrungalos said. According to him, this is another link in the chain of complete overthrow of the established dogmas of foreign policy. Katrungalos said that the SYRIZA government tried to transfer relations with the United States to the level of a strategic dialogue, but on the basis of mutually beneficial relations , on the basis of a multi-vector foreign policy and on the basis of a concurrence of interests. «What did Kyriakos Mitsotakis do during his first contact with President Trump? Declared allegiance. «We are loyal and we are allies,» he said. He violated the firm position of Greek foreign policy that that we never support actions contrary to international law, welcoming the extrajudicial execution (by the Americans of Iranian General Qassem) Soleimani. You know, the UN condemns extrajudicial executions as contrary to international law. At the same time, it has made commitments, unlike any other European country, to not have Chinese-origin 5G networks in Greece. Also, to show how attached we are to the American chariot and we do not need to have relations with anyone else, he rejected the proposal of the Chinese side to hold another meeting of the 16 + 1 group in Athens,» the politician said. He recalled that the first step of Greek diplomacy Juan Guaido was recognized as president of Venezuela after the New Democracy government came to power in 2019. «Was this the main issue, the number one foreign policy issue for Greece, a man whom no one remembers today?» Katrungalos said.The Prime Minister of Greece acknowledged that Europe cannot abandon Russian gasAccording to him, there has been an unprecedented shift in Greece's foreign policy, its positions have changed on a number of issues, in particular support for Palestine or Cuba. «A country that abandons its permanent positions is not respected , and especially with regard to Cuba, this could have implications in terms of our country's aspiration to take a (non-permanent member) seat on the Security Council,» the ex-minister said. «We sent Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia and the Greek military. We didn't do it again «, without the decision of an international organization. Why did we do it? What interests did we have there? Why get involved in an unclean war that is already being investigated by the UN War Crimes Commission? Why were we among the first to send deadly military equipment to Ukraine? And most importantly, why are we abandoned the firm doctrine of our country's foreign policy?» Katrungalos said. According to him, Mitsotakis returned to the metaphor used by the Greek right during the civil war and the Cold War, according to which Greece is a «forward outpost» and a satellite. Katrungalos said that the state policy of «forward outpost» and «give it all» harming the country.» You gave everything and not just received nothing in return. The situation of our country at the moment is much worse in its relations with the United States, as it happens in any relationship that is taken for granted, and there are no necessary guarantees of Greek-Turkish relations «, — said Katrungalos. «With your policy, you are causing serious harm to the country, you are humiliating its international prestige, you are subverting the firm constants of our foreign policy without any benefit to our country. We will vote against the agreement. And we will take care to restore it to the mutually beneficial framework of cooperation that we must have with each country and with the United States when we return to the state a representative of the opposition,» said an opposition representative. «You have made it so that it will operate indefinitely,» Katrungalos said. The vote in parliament will take place on May 12. jpg» />The United States canceled the meeting on the Elbe
