Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on the latest developments in the Middle East and the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.
The discussion was constructive as government sources reported very constructive, which was not so in conversations between the Secretary of State and the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Mitsotakis reiterated Greece’s position on condemning Hamas terrorism and reaffirmed his administration’s support for Israel’s right to self-defence, while expressing growing concern for the civilians in the Gaza Strip.
They both agreed on stressing the need to secure humanitarian pauses. The Greek prime minister emphasised the importance of establishing a continuous flow of much-needed humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip.
Before his call with Mitsotakis, the U.S. Secretary of State had travelled to Ankara, Turkey, where he met with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan. The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has – openly and rhetorically – supported Hamas despite the horrific October 7 Hamas attacks, which saw the murder of 1400 Israelis, including babies and music festival revellers, and the abduction of over 200 Israeli citizens. Worse, the populist Turkish leader, at the beginning of the conflict, stated Hamas was not a terrorist organisation. Despite Turkey’s NATO member states, the government openly accuses the U.S. and Israel of the conflict’s escalation.
The coldness in US-Turkish relations was highlighted by an unusually low-key reception for Antony Blinken at Ankara airport. The U.S. Secretary of State was welcomed by Ankara’s Deputy Mayor, Namik Kemal Nazli, and Ambassador Yaprak Balkan, Director of the Foreign Ministry. According to the protocol, Blinken should have been welcomed by Fidan as his Turkish counterpart.The Greek Prime Minister had a constructive dialogue with the American Secretary of State, which was clearly not the case for the Turkish side.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Antony Blinken had a telephone conversation on the latest developments in the Middle East and the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. According to government sources, the Prime Minister reiterated Greece’s position on condemning Hamas terrorism, and reaffirmed his administration’s support for Israel’s right to self-defence.
However, Mitsotakis also elaborated on his growing concern for the protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip and stressed the need to secure humanitarian pauses. The Greek Prime Minister also emphasized the importance of establishing a continuous flow of much needed humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip.
It must be noted that prior to his call with Mitsotakis, the US Secretary of State had travelled to Ankara, Turkey, where he met with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan. The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has – rhetorically – supported Hamas from the beginning of the conflict to the extent that he publicly stated that is not a terrorist organization. Despite the country’s NATO member status, the Turkish government openly accused US presence in the region and unconditional support for Israel, portraying both as the key reasons why the conflict escalated as much as it has so far.
The coldness in US-Turkish relations was highlighted by the unusually low-key reception that awaited Antony Blinken at Ankara airport. Specifically, the American Secretary of State was welcomed Turkish by Ankara’s Deputy Mayor, Namik Kemal Nazli, and Ambassador Yaprak Balkan, Director of the Foreign Ministry, responsible for bilateral political relations. According to the protocol, Blinken should have been welcomed by Fidan, as his Turkish counterpart.
