“I will not cooperate with New Democracy under any circumstances. Political change with ND in government does not exist,” Nikos Androulakis stated clearly during an interview on the in.gr vidcast with Rania Tzima on Monday evening, March 9, 2026.
Political change as the core objective
Androulakis identified political change, his party’s electoral victory, and ND’s return to opposition as the central goals. He also expressed deep concern over escalating hostilities in the Middle East.
Risks of regional escalation
He warned that if current airstrikes evolve into ground operations—and especially if additional powers become involved—the region could face a massive humanitarian crisis, a large-scale refugee wave, and severe economic fallout.
Greece’s stance on Cyprus and Eastern Mediterranean security
As leader of PASOK–Movement for Change, Androulakis underscored that recent developments in Cyprus have “obviously created an atmosphere of insecurity.” He stressed that Greece and European countries were right to show unwavering solidarity with Cyprus—“the entire island, as it is fully part of the European Union.”
He called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s reported plan to deploy F-16 fighter jets to northern Cyprus “unthinkable,” noting that EU member states are committed to supporting Cyprus as a full EU partner. “Turkey has no justification to reinforce the occupation army,” he added.
No Greek military involvement in US-Israel-Iran conflict
Androulakis reaffirmed that Greece must support Cyprus—and any other EU country potentially affected—but ruled out any scenario in which Greece becomes militarily involved in the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran. “No involvement means no use of Greek bases for operations launched from our territory,” he emphasized.
Condemnation of unilateral military action
He described the US and Israeli “preemptive” strikes—conducted without UN Security Council authorization—as a blatant violation of international law. Respect for the rules of international legitimacy, he insisted, is non-negotiable.
“There is the UN, there are rules,” he said. “If we abandon them and descend into a jungle where Trump declares, ‘I’ll bomb first and then appoint Iran’s next leadership,’ we’re talking about a world where revisionist, powerful actors act against those they deem weaker or vulnerable.”
Alignment with European Socialists
When asked about Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s position, Androulakis noted that Sánchez voiced the shared stance of the Party of European Socialists: “unwavering European solidarity—which is why Spain sent a naval vessel to Cyprus—but absolutely no military entanglement in the war.” He confirmed that PASOK shares this position.
He clarified that the agreement allowing Spain to transfer aircraft carrier technology to Turkey was not signed by Sánchez, but by former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy—leader of the European People’s Party (EPP), the same political family as Greece’s New Democracy and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Regarding arms exports by Italy’s Giorgia Meloni or Germany’s Friedrich Merz, Androulakis remarked dryly: “I haven’t heard about those either.”