The Government of Greece, firm reaction after the WSJ article: There was never any question of a threat to us. The relationship with the US, ”closer and more stable than ever”

Firm reaction from Athens following the controversial WSJ article. The Greek government dismantles information regarding a threat from the US motivated by economic considerations.

”There has never been any doubt about a threat to the Greek government, nor would such a thing ever be tolerated”, stressed the spokesperson for the Greek Executive, Pavlos Marinakis.

In the same context, the Greek government describes the relationship with the US as ”closer and more stable than ever”, based on mutual respect, and made sure to specify that it works for the national interest and is not involved in business antagonisms.

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The spokesperson referred to energy partnerships, mentioning that Exxon Mobil and Chevron are investing together with Greek companies in exploring the country’s energy resources. Pavlos Marinakis (photo below) recalled that the first exploratory drilling in the Ionian Sea in fifty years is planned, while also commenting that the Vertical Corridor is a very important project that strengthens energy security and enhances the country’s role in supplying energy to third countries.

”The Greek government works for the energy and geopolitical modernization of the country and serves the national interest, and is not involved in commercial and business competitions”, the spokesperson emphasized.

Asked about what the Minister of Environment and Energy, Stavros Papastavrou, conveyed to him regarding a dinner referred to in the WSJ article, the spokesperson for the Greek Executive reiterated that ‘the issue of a threat to the Greek government was never raised.’

Read also: Sorin Grindeanu dezleagă misterul întâlnirii cu ambasadoarea SUA în Grecia, Kimberly Guilfoyle: „Pe Bolojan nu l-au dat jos nici americanii, nici rușii, nici Illuminati, nici monstrul din Loch Ness, ci românii. Măscăricii încearcă să îi creeze o aură lui Bolojan”

The WSJ, in its article focused on the role of lobbyist Christos Marafatsos, claimed that the US Ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, at a dinner with officials and as the conversation turned to the fall of the government in Romania, allegedly said: ”We can do this in any country we want. We can do this here”. In fact, according to the American newspaper, the Minister of Energy, Stavros Papastavrou, responded to her. The ambassador’s lawyer rejects this description of events, reports naftemporiki.gr.

The opposition in Greece demanded that the government clarify the information published by the WSJ.

PASOK (Movement for Change), through a joint statement by the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Dimitris Mantzos, and the head of the Energy Committee, Frangiskos Parasiris, called on the government to take a stand. The two MPs spoke of ”quite serious questions” that cannot be answered in silence and stressed that Greece is an ”independent and sovereign democracy” and must act as such ”towards everyone, without any exception”.

The Coalition of the Greek Left, for its part, asked the government to clarify whether the incident took place and, if so, why it had not been reported since March and how it reacted. It argued that the incident, if confirmed, highlights the dangers of the policy of being a ”given ally” and a ”blank check” towards the US.

KKE qualified the government’s silence as ‘guilty’ and argued that the publication confirms the intervention of the US ambassador in favor of the Vertical Corridor. It reiterated its opposition to the US LNG plan and the Greece-US strategic agreement, while also announcing mobilizations on the occasion of the upcoming visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio”.

(sursă foto interior: parapolitika.gr)

Read also: Sorin Grindeanu: „La Palatul Victoria a fost cel mai anti-american guvern din istoria postdecembristă a României, cu tot felul de persoane care au dovedit în aceste luni că au fost antiamericane”