Greece’s battle to stay solvent and in the eurozone is becoming a game of dangerous brinkmanship. Beyond the war of words between Athens and Berlin, the dark arts of diplomacy are also being played.
On Tuesday, only hours after Greece’s leftist-led government announced that the prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, had accepted an offer by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, to visit Berlin, it was revealed that he would also be making a similar tour to Moscow.
“The prime minister will visit the Kremlin on 8 April after being invited by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin,” his office said.
Before the sun had set over the Acropolis, the top US diplomat Victoria Nuland had waded in, holding talks with Greece’s foreign minister, Nikos Kotzias, in Athens.
Nuland, who is assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, flew into the capital amid mounting US concerns that the great euro debt crisis has begun to pose a geopolitical threat. Allowed to veer out of control, Greece could end up in the ambit of Russia, financially bereft and without the EU links that keep it bounded to the west.
Nato’s south-eastern flank would be immeasurably weakened at a time of mounting global security worries over Islamic fundamentalists in the Middle East.
Under Tsipras’s steely leadership, the country has worked hard to stoke such fears.
Exploiting his far-left Syriza party’s traditionally good ties with Moscow, the young leader has allowed his ministers to suggest openly that they would turn to Moscow as a strategic protector in the event of Athens being ejected from the 19-nation currency bloc. Russia, in turn, has said it would happily consider a Greek request for aid – despite its own financial woes – should its fellow Orthodox state ask....The Guardian (UK)
Deadlock over Greek debt crisis could play into Russia's hands
Helena Smith in Athens
Greece is going to overhaul its state-run military enterprises that have suffered greatly from years of neglect, with the help from Russian defense companies, Greek Deputy Defense Minister Kostas Isihos told Sputnik...
[Greek Defense Minister Panos] Kammenos is expected to hold talks with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. They will discuss bilateral defense agreements and seek to deepen cooperation between the two nations, Isihos said.Russia to Help Greek Defense Firms Recuperate From Neglect – Greek Official
Speaking with Sputnik on Tuesday, Isihos also said the Greek military would benefit from increased technical support and advice on the use of Russian-made arms.
Moscow and Athens have been ramping up military cooperation in the past few years. In December 2013, the two countries signed an intergovernmental deal on supplies of Russian arms and military hardware. Shoigu and then-Greek Defense Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos also discussed the possibility of joint personnel training events. Sputnik
4 comments:
This is a bold move, no doubt. And risky, too. It sort of reminds me of Fidel Castro's turn to the Soviet Union for support.
If push comes to shove, and Greece leaves the euro, what kind of concessions would Russia demand from Syriza? How will everybody react to that? The Greek voters, their own power players, the Europeans and Yanks.
Interesting and, given the unknown unknowns, kind of scary.
The Russians have already said that they will not help Syriza financially as long as it is facing toward the Atlantic. They see Tsipras as playing them against the Atlanticists and believes they will go back to them if they get concessions.
Things could change if there is a Grexit and Greece finds itself in deep enough doo-doo to turn its back on the West, should the people perceive that the West betrayed Greece.
I suspect that the most that Tsipras will get is some face time with the leadership, some encouraging words and signs of friendship, and maybe a relaxing of some Russian sanctions on Greek exports to Russia.
C'mon! Don't be so pessimistic.
At least it's way better than the "Islamist illegal migrants" blackmail thing. Or the Nazi money.
I think the russians were sending a signal to Tsipras that they were willing to play if he is serious, but that means actually turning East (toward its natural home) and away from the Atlanticists, who don't think that Greeks are good enough for them.
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