The discussions between the diplomatic delegations of Greece and the United States, which took place a few days ago during the visit of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Athens, were presented, according to a source who followed the development of the program, as contacts between countries that make absolutely no difference. “It was like bilateral with Switzerland,” the source said revealingly, not failing to note that at the moment the Americans are completely absorbed in the big game, which is being played with an emphasis on stopping Russian aggression in Ukraine and containing China. in the Pacific Ocean. The fact is that everyone believes that the upcoming elections in Greece and Turkey will be held far from the zone of risk of tension, which existed until the eve of the earthquakes on February 6 and was considered an important parameter of American policy in the area.

From the discussions held in Athens, it became clear that for Washington, the presence of American bases in Greece, Souda, Larisa and, of course, in Alexandroupolis, which is the entry point to the vital – for NATO – route, is of paramount importance. from the Aegean to the Baltic Sea. The agreements signed a few days ago in Athens between the Greek and Bulgarian sides on the pipeline and the future upgrade of the railway line are very indicative of the US attitude towards this part of the east wing. Moreover, the importance of the Aegean for the US as a key point to the straits has increased dramatically. For this reason, in the coming years, the main bases used by the United States, to which Andravida Air Base will be added as the most likely place for the gradual parking of Greek F-35s after 2027-28, will be upgraded with infrastructure that will have the most modern technology.

“It was like bilateral with Switzerland,” commented a source familiar with the contacts of the head of the State Department in Athens.

In matters relating to Greece, directly or indirectly, both in his statements and personally, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis first explained to Mr. Blinken the objections of Athens to the possibility of sending S-300s to Ukraine, as well as the conditions under which this is possible for Greece to discuss with Turkey. At a meeting between Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and his counterpart on Tuesday, “K” was told that the same principles had been raised. In fact, in the discussions that took place, Mr. Blinken was told that Greece has no problems in negotiations with Turkey, provided that Ankara moves away from the line of claims. Foreign Office sources recalled that in earlier statements, Mr. Dendias noted that you cannot legalize and then trade your illegitimacy as an asset against the legal rights of others.

Athens is also satisfied with the position expressed by Mr. Blinken on the question of Libya and the complications created in Greek-Turkish relations by the Turkish-Libyan memorandums. Mr. Blinken reportedly told a colleague that the Tripoli government could not sign agreements that would bind Libya in the long run, roughly describing it as a special-purpose scheme that had already far exceeded its time horizon.

On the American side, the situation in the Balkans, and especially relations between Pristina and Belgrade, occupied a rather high place on the agenda.

US for Erdogan: the earthquake did not change him

Answer from Washington, Lena Argiri

High hopes in Washington for revisiting relations with Ankara in the wake of the devastating earthquake seem to be fading after Foreign Secretary Anthony Blinken’s visit to Turkey. There is an opinion in the American capital that President Erdogan does not intend to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the sympathies of the international community, will not take the necessary steps to significantly improve his relations with the West and will try to “take nothing.”

The expectation that Turkey will be able to change the harsh climate of the past few years has dominated even Congress, but as the shock of a huge catastrophe gradually recedes, it seems that the earthquake did not change the rules of the game after all, no structural changes are foreseen and any successes in relations with the United States and, consequently, with the West will be temporary.

Included in the context of short-term positive impacts is the near-zero chance of a crisis with Greece, a possibility that was one of the top concerns of the White House and the State Department prior to the quake. Moderate optimism that there is a good opportunity to de-escalate tensions in Greek-Turkish relations remains at the US State Department, mainly because the Turks have expressed gratitude for Greece’s help and attitude and for the first time avoided accusations and expressions of dissatisfaction. .

But at the same time, they conveyed a generally more positive atmosphere that did not reflect reality. In particular, they told the US Foreign Secretary that they had already taken steps to de-escalate. That is why Athens made the necessary clarifications to Mr. Blinken that the relevant Turkish report concerns only some of the ideas that were put forward for discussion by the representative of President Erdogan, Ibrahim Kalin, during his previous meeting with the director of the diplomatic office. Prime Minister Anna-Maria Bura. Since then, the Turkish side has not returned and shown no readiness to further explore the possibilities of opening channels for issues such as immigration. Therefore, as emphasized during the Athens discussions, this is not a de-escalation move, and therefore it would be a mistake for Turkey to present it as such.

Otherwise, what is interesting is that the pressure from US diplomats on many fronts to include Turkey in the energy plans of the Eastern Mediterranean continues and intensifies, with the most typical example being the recent persistent admonition by a senior State Department official to the Egyptian head of the powerful energy forum to negotiate and start Turkey’s participation.