Conflict in the Mideast - The View From Greece

The “sirens of war” again erupted in the Middle East on the last day of February, last month, with the coordinated and large-scale US and Israeli strikes against Iran, followed by the latter’s retaliation across the wider region. The repercussions of the latest Mideast war, beyond the actual death and destruction in the immediate area, were immediately felt around the world, i.e. financial markets and energy prices.

In this week’s episode of “Explaining Greece”, we again speak with Maria Gavouneli, a professor of International Law at the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens and a board member of the Athens-based Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), in an attempt to understand how Greek leadership is dealing with the crisis and how the war affects the country.

Standing on the western edge of the now expanded conflict, given its proximity via the eastern Mediterranean with Israel, along with Lebanon and the large island republic of Cyprus, NATO and EU member Greece is closely scrutinizing developments and taking initiatives within its framework of its interests, agreements and alliances. For instance, two Greek warships and four fighter planes were dispatched to Cyprus, namely, to the internationally recognized part of the island, as one-third of the island remains under Turkish occupation – another variable in the “calculus” of geopolitical realities in the region.

Greece and the Greek Cypriot majority on the island share close fraternal ties.

The deployment followed foiled attacks by drones or missiles, ostensibly by forces backing Iran, against a British airbase on the divided island.

Shipping is also a high priority for Athens, as Greek-owned vessels and companies comprise one of the biggest blocs in the world’s ocean-going fleet, especially the now vulnerable tankers trying to navigate the Strait of Hormuz and other “chokepoints” in the region.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.