The Presidency’s impact on Greek-Turkish relations and the wider balance in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as the potential risks to European economies, is carefully examined by Athens. As far as bilateral relations are concerned, the government considers that these are strong, that they are not threatened and that on the contrary they will have “more depth in the next few years” over the Donald Trump presidency, but does not rest. CORVERSE “This is a very strong partnership and I do not expect any change in the way the US sees Greece,” said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, speaking at an event of the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce. Despite Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s new “friendly attacks” on Donald Trump, with the American president also calling the Turkish president, government and diplomatic circles appreciate that recognition by the US of Greece as a strong pillar of stability in the region cannot be overlooked, while they also emphasize the major investments promoted by America in Greece and the region and especially energy. What does American colossae’s interest in drilling in Greece mean? As it is known, after Exxon Mobil and the other American energy giant Chevron showed interest in drilling, in an area of 11,000 square kilometres in marine plots of the wider region south of the Peloponnese and Crete. CORVERSE The choice of the announcement on Chevron in Greece, on the day of the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, is not accidental, they appreciate sources of government, noting with meaning that President Trump supports American oil companies with his policy and that the presence of two energy giants in our country (Chevron and Exxon Mobil) “sends loud messages of the strategic relationship between Greece and the USA”. “Greece’s strong geopolitical position is recognised in a troubled region and amid the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East” states in the newsit diplomatic source. “I do not believe this relationship has ever been better than in the last five years. We have signed an overall agreement on security and defence. Our relationship goes far beyond defence and security,” the Prime Minister said, referring precisely to the increased interest of American companies in various investments in our country. An extraordinary summit on 3 February for the Trump Presidency However, at the same time, Greece, like all of Europe, is under steam for the consequences of Euro-Atlantic relations and European economies, from threats already expressed by Donald Trump. The issue will be discussed at the extraordinary EU Summit on 3 February. “One could claim that this election is indeed the last spring we needed to go from words to deeds,” said Mr. Mitsotakis, appreciating that European leaders should come up with a single approach to how Europe will talk centrally with the new US government. Customs duties and increased defence expenditure on the Trump Agenda The possibility of imposing American tariffs on imports of American products causes “a headache”, as the impact on European economies will be great. Factors of the EU They estimated that a trade war between Europe and the US would prevent the old continent from increasing its defence spending. Trump’s position towards NATO allies that defence spending must rise to 5%, has caused concern in Brussels, since many countries do not even spend 2% of GDP on defence. It is, however, recalled that Greece is the only country that already spends over 3% of its GDP on defence equipment, due to its difficult neighbourhood with Turkey. “Defense autonomy of Europe” the position of Athens Greece consistently insists on asking Europe to spend more and to proceed directly to its defence autonomy. “The truth is that the European continent, and certainly some of the major countries, have shown great complacency in the assignment of guarantees for our security in the United States. Without Europe bearing the costs and taking up our share,” the Prime Minister stressed at the event of the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce, in his discussion with former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta. The proposal of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which he will put back at the extraordinary summit, is to have a uniform defence policy through the creation of a Recovery Fund. This is estimated to allow for more budgetary space strictly for defence investment, above the reference point of expenditure currently in existence. “This is, in my opinion, the fastest way to encourage countries to increase their defence spending,” the Prime Minister stressed.
What the new Trump presidency brings to Greece and Turkey – The Mitsotakis proposal for “defensive autonomy of Europe”
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