Newspaper: Athens fears loss of geopolitical importance after US policy change

The US's decision to exclude Europe from negotiations with Russia over the war in Ukraine has taken Athens by surprise, as Greece had aligned its strategies with European interests.

According to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, as Yeni Şafak reports, the Athens administration is concerned about losing its geopolitical significance following US President Donald Trump’s policy of sidelining Brussels, and his assertion that Russia should not be forced to withdraw from the territories it has seized in Ukraine.

The Athens government, anticipating that the Turkish Straits will play a growing role in global trade — especially with Trump signalling his potential withdrawal from military commitments to defend Europe and resolve the war in Ukraine — fears that its ports, such as Dedeagach, will lose their strategic importance. There is speculation that such a shift could severely undermine Greece's political and economic standing.

In response, Greece has swiftly begun lobbying Washington to mitigate the potential fallout. Reports indicate that the Greek Foreign Ministry signed a $600,000 annual agreement with the Washington lobbying firm BGR Group.

Earlier, Kathimerini reported that “Greece is no longer a priority in Türkiye's foreign policy. Ankara communicates directly with the world's leading players on issues far more significant than the Aegean continental shelf or the Athens Flight Information Region. This does not imply that Greece is no longer relevant. The Turks still deal with us out of necessity because we are a neighbouring country that potentially encroaches on their vital interests. They have border disputes with us that they consider minor, but they affect Türkiye's national interests, and Ankara is determined to protect them,” the article stated.

Before Ankara decides to treat these issues as its exclusive concerns, the article advises, “the Greeks would be wise to resolve them bilaterally.”

Kathimerini also noted that Türkiye strongly supports disarming the islands of the eastern Aegean and safeguarding the rights of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace, in accordance with the Lausanne Treaty. The newspaper emphasized that Greece cannot afford to ignore Türkiye on critical matters like the Aegean continental shelf and the status of the islands, as Ankara will not relent on these issues.

“Where did all this come from? From President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, of course. As long as Türkiye has tried to maintain its ties to the West and Europe, Turkish-Greek relations were a priority in Turkish foreign policy. Since Erdoğan came to power, he has developed regional strategies independent of the West, and thus unaffected by the state of Turkish-Greek relations. Today's Türkiye is a completely different country from Türkiye in 1974. We now share a border with a country that considers itself a global power,” the article concluded.

By Tamilla Hasanova