It is written by Konstantinos Kusantas, Lieutenant General e.a. , MA in International Security (Plymouth) and International Relations (Brussels).*
The EU-NATO political statements on our national issues are almost always governed by the principle of EQUAL DISTANCES between Greece and Turkey which negatively affects the interests of Greece.
1. Turkey, perceiving the neutrality of the EU and NATO, is ashamed to continue to create new narratives and alleged claims.
2. This constant EU and NATO EQUAL DISTANCE policy indirectly pressures the political leadership of our country to continue the strategy of proven failed appeasement.
3. In the crisis of 2020, initially with the hybrid war in the Evros of illegal immigrants and then the investigations of the Turkish research vessel in the SE Mediterranean until the end of 2020, in consecutive Summit Conferences the EU avoided imposing sanctions even though Greece and Cyprus they had demanded.
4. In the ongoing Russian Ukrainian war there have been EU and NATO interventions at the military level which in some cases have been outrageous in sending weapon systems to Ukraine WITHOUT any consideration of the Turkish threat from allies.
The GIVE and GIVE at the level of “grocery mediation” dominated and still dominates at the level of consultations on sending weapons systems. You give BMP 1 to Ukraine, get MARDER from Germany, give them S 300 and we will give you “later” another anti-aircraft system.
5. Even from Cyprus, which does not belong to NATO with 48 years of Turkish invasion, exploratory questions were raised about the disposition of TORM1 anti-aircraft systems, T-80 tanks, BMP-3 and MI-35 helicopters.
6. In May 2022 when two F 16s flew 2.5 nm SE of Alexandroupoli, the EU contented itself with officially expressing its “concern”.
Greece, which consciously aligns itself with the principles and values of the EU-NATO, has not officially, rightfully, seen a single declaration in its favor or EU-NATO sanctions against Turkey even because of its shrewd stance on the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Our country should DEMAND and DESERVE the maximization of Greek interests in all international organizations.
*Lieutenant General Kusantas Konstantinos holds two postgraduate degrees in International Security (Plymouth), International Relations (Brussels) and has graduated from the Pedagogical Department of Elementary Education of the Democritus University of Thrace. He has served in the NATO Rapid Intervention Headquarters in Spain – Valencia as Assistant Chief of Staff and was the representative of the GES in the NATO Training Group.
