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Russian meddling in Greece divides traditional Orthodox allies

August 4, 2018 By administrator

As Orthodox Christian nations on the frontiers of Europe, Russia and Greece have long enjoyed close ties. The recent name dispute with Macedonia, however, has led to a falling out between the two countries.

It sounds like a plotline straight out of a James Bond film, but in reality, it’s fueled a diplomatic row between former friends. Russian diplomats in Greece were caught last month attempting to bribe local politicians, businessmen and powerful Orthodox priests from the Athos monastery to influence the outcome of the name dispute between Greece and its northern neighbor, Macedonia. In an escalation of tensions, Greece responded by denouncing the four Russian diplomats involved in the scheme.

“The Greek government seeks good relations with all states, but we will not accept behavior that violates international law and undermines the Greek authorities,” said Greek government spokesperson Dimitris Tzanakopoulos.

All eyes on the Balkans

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his dissatisfaction withthe agreement reached over the Macedonia name dispute. His opposition comes as part of the long political tug of war that the European Union and Russia have been playing for control in the Balkans.

Following the resolution reached in June, Greece will no longer block Macedonia’s EU and NATO accession. The move paves the way for Macedonia to become the latest Balkan state to align with the West.

As an economic bridge between Western Europe and Asia, the Balkans are seen as a key trade route, even more so now that Piraeus, the largest port in Greece, is under Chinese ownership.

“The new Silk Road, which will flow into the port of Piraeus, and then cross the Balkans into Central Europe, gives Greece a new weight in the region,” said German-Greek journalist Efthymis Angeloudis.

Greece’s strategic role

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has been pushing for better ties with his country’s Balkan neighbors for some time, but Athens’ interest in uniting the region predates his term in office.

“Greece played a major role in Bulgaria’s and Romania’s accession to the EU in 2007. The fact that the Greek government has now found partners in Macedonia is an immense step for the region,” Angeloudis said, calling the rapprochement between the two countries “a ray of hope.”

EU leaders have long overlooked the crucial role Greece can play in the Balkans, instead viewing the country primarily as as the bloc’s tax-evading black sheep. But if Brussels ignores Athens in seeking to align the Balkans with Western Europe, it risks the sort of falling out it’s now experiencing with Greece’s southern neighbor, Turkey. Ankara had long been friendly towards the EU, but the bloc was content to keep the country at arm’s length. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s winning the country’s recent presidential election, boosting his increasingly authoritarian power and rediscovering his sympathy for Russia, is clear sign that the EU missed its shot at partnering with Turkey in the long term.

When it comes to the ongoing process of rapprochement between the Western Balkan countries, the EU now has a chance to show it has learned from past mistakes.

“The EU should not squander this opportunity with shortsighted action,” said Angeloudis. “It is crucial to the future of world trade that relationships in the region are secured and that the EU’s doors to the Western Balkans remain secure and open.”

Turning away from Orthodox ally Russia

With the Macedonia name dispute agreement, the EU can at least relish in a partial victory against rival Russia in the diplomatic battle for the Balkans — thanks largely to Athens’ friendly efforts.

Traditionally, Greeks have viewed Russia, a fellow predominantly Eastern Orthodox Christian country, as a spiritual ally. But for Stavros Tzimas, a journalist covering Greek-Balkan politics for the influential Kathimerini newspaper, this supposed love affair has little to do with reality. He says the fundamental Christian Orthodox tenet that connects the two states has faded into a barely recognizable alliance.

“The assumption of religious unity is based on the myth that powerful Russia is helping its Greek fellow believers in difficult times,” Tzimas said. Russia has never truly supported Greece, he explained, citing Prime Minister Tsipras’ appeal to the Kremlin in 2015 during the Greek financial crisis as just the latest example.

“When Tsipras traveled to Moscow to plead for financial help from Putin, in the hope for some respite from the fiscal hands of European donors, the Russian president sent him off on his way to Brussels instead,” Tzimas said.

Political realities aside, the positive image of Russia in Greece continues to endure. Recent polls show that Putin’s standing is high among Greeks. That is because people in the country are not fully aware of Russia’s human rights abuses, or how its foreign policy negatively impacts the Greek economy, Tzimas said

Next year, Greece will hold parliamentary elections. For Tsipras, and for the EU, the vote will be a litmus test of how his government has handled the current tensions with Russia.

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/russian-meddling-in-greece-divides-traditional-orthodox-allies/a-44948712

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Greece, meddling, Russian

Austria’s Kurz seeks to be youngest chancellor, warned against any “meddling” from Turkey.

August 20, 2017 By administrator

At only 30 years old, Sebastian Kurz is angling not only to become chancellor of Austria, but also to give his country a more powerful stance on the world stage. To that end, he warned against any “meddling” from Turkey.

To call Sebastian Kurz ambitious would be an understatement akin to regarding a hurricane as a light drizzle. In 2013, he managed to become the youngest foreign minister in the world at the age of only 27. And earlier this year, he maneuvered to become chief of one of Austria’s strongest political parties, the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP).

The ÖVP, which rules in coalition with the left-leaning Social Democrats (SPÖ), promptly called snap elections – to be held a year early, in October 2017. But this time, Austrians who support Kurz will not be voting for the ÖVP but for the “List Sebastian Kurz,” a series of ÖVP-backed candidates led by the foreign minister.

Kurz is aiming not only to become the youngest chancellor in the history of the republic, but to steer his country toward a more conservative migration policy, stop radical Islamist terrorism, “break apart the old system” of politics and shift his nation into a more powerful position in Europe.

In this, as far as his personal profile is concerned, he has already achieved a degree of success. Indeed, he is internationally the most recognizable face in Austrian politics – much more so than Chancellor Christian Kern. There was Kurz, smiling and shaking hands with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during the early stages of nuclear negotiations in 2014, and his statements in the headlines throughout much of 2015, calling for more effective border control along the EU’s external frontier during the migrant crisis.

Breaking the ‘old system’

In an interview with Germany’s weekly Welt am Sonntag on Sunday, Kurz outlined his vision for the future should he win the chancellor’s seat in October, including ending the “chaos” of NGOs getting involved in Europe’s migration wave and keeping Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from “meddling” in European elections.

“I have the strength of will to break apart the old system,” he told the newspaper – starting with how the EU handles the millions of refugees fleeing conflict and poverty to European shores.

“Some NGOs presumably want to do something good [by intercepting illegal migrant boats in the Mediterranean],” said Kurz, “but in the end they don’t produce any good results, just chaos.”

To stop the chaos, Kurz wants to end “economic migration” to the EU, which he makes clear is different from those fleeing war and violence in countries like Syria, by working with the Libya government and closing the so-called “Balkan route” that migrants used to travel from Greece to western Europe. He swiftly deflected comments made by Berlin that Libya’s migrant centers were comparable to “concentration camps.”

Reacting to being called “hard-hearted,” by his interviewer, Kurz bristles at the accusation, insisting: “I want to stop illegal, uncontrolled migration. At the same time, I fully support providing aid to developing countries on the ground, as well as creating paths for legal immigration to Europe.”

‘We will not accept meddling of any kind’

The last point Kurz was at pains to make in the interview is that neither Germany nor Austria will tolerate any foreign meddling in their upcoming elections.

On Friday, Turkish President Erdogan issued a message to Germany’s considerable Turkish community not to vote for any of the country’s major parties during the country’s federal vote on September 24.

Amidst an escalating row over Turkey’s authoritarian crackdown on opposition voices in the media – which has led to several German nationals being jailed by Ankara – Erdogan said he was “calling on all his countrymen not to make the mistake” of voting for Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Later that day, Ankara’s outspoken Mayor Melih Gokcek called Germany’s Green party leader Cem Özdemir, himself the son of Turkish immigrants, a traitor and an “Armenian servant.”

Clear words

Kurz had a clear warning for Erdogan: Keep out of our elections.

“If Erdogan or his ministers are planning anything similar for Austria’s upcoming vote, I want to make it absolutely clear that we will not accept meddling of any kind.”

“Turkey is an important neighbor, with whom, when it is necessary, we must cooperate,” he said, adding – thus eschewing any notion of EU membership for Ankara – “with respect to democracy and human rights.”

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Austria's Kurz, meddling, Turkey

Iraqi PM Abadi urges Ankara, Riyadh to avoid meddling in Iraq affairs

October 22, 2016 By administrator

iraqi-pm-turkey-outIraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has called on Turkey and Saudi Arabia to stop interfering in the domestic affairs of his country, which is engaged in a campaign against the Daesh terrorist group.

“We want the good of Saudi Arabia and Turkey provided that they do not interfere in the domestic affairs of our country,” he told a forum of Muslim scholars and politicians in Baghdad Saturday.

The opening of the 9th session of the Supreme Council of the World Assembly of Islamic Awakening in the Iraqi capital coincided with the country’s ongoing push to retake its second city of Mosul from Daesh terrorists.

Turkey is adamantly insisting that it wants to play a military role in the Mosul recapture despite Iraq’s opposition, triggering a serious diplomatic row between the two neighbors.

Ankara has deployed troops to a base near Mosul, claiming that they were there to train Kurdish militants for the battle against Daesh.

Abadi said Turkey had sent troops without the Iraqi government’s request, adding Ankara is not battling Daesh but is trying to expand its outreach. Ankara, he said, did not help Baghdad when it was requested.

In the run-up to the Mosul operation, Saudi Arabia replaced its ambassador to Baghdad, who had repeatedly drawn the ire of Iraqi leaders for his meddling remarks. The kingdom downgraded its representation to the charge d’affaires level.

Without naming any country, Prime Minister Abadi said there are countries that support terrorism for their own benefits while others are seeking to sow sectarian discord.

“Daesh did not come to existence overnight. Certain sides used to support the group,” he said.

Takfiri terrorists, he said, do not distinguish between Shia and Sunni Muslims or abide by any principles, adding they are trying to sow sectarian divisions.

Abadi said Iraq is capable enough to counter Daesh and terrorism, calling on the country to remain united. “We will hopefully fight and defeat the Takfiri terrorism,” the prime minister added.

Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri, who is a Sunni Muslim, accused terrorists of attempting to spread their radical ideas in the name of religion.

He called for a meeting with the participation of Iraq, Turkey and Saudi Arabia to address their disputes, saying Muslim countries must take measures to counter terrorism.

Islamic Awakening alive despite hurdles

Speaking at the summit, Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, said that the Islamic Awakening movement enjoys public support and continues to thrive despite obstacles and challenges in its way.

“Today, abundant opportunities have arisen in the region and Muslims are obligated to continue down their path with Islamic Awakening against the Takfiri ideology,” Velayati said.

Five years since the beginning of the wave of Islamic Awakening, enemies and opponents have practically failed to stop the movement even through creating Takfiri groups and hatching plots for partitioning countries, the Iranian official said.

He further slammed the Saudi regime for its covert role in all crises in the region, from Syria and Iraq to those in Yemen, Libya and elsewhere.

Saudi Wahhabism is using its petrodollars to sow discord in the Muslim world, he added.

Under an enemy plot, Muslim countries in the region have today been occupied with issues such as Daesh and Takfiri terrorism so the occupation of Palestinian territories by the Israeli regime would no longer be their priority, the official pointed out.

Velayati called for a return to true principles and values of the holy religion of Islam as the sole way out of regional problems.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Ankara, Iraqi, meddling, PM abadi, saudi

Moscow urges Turkey to stop ‘meddling in neighbors’ affairs’ Syria & Karabakh

April 4, 2016 By administrator

b5c5f8f3-0adf-43b7-bdb8-9ae061dc76c5Russia’s foreign minister has urged Turkey to stop what he called interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and end support for terrorism.

“In general, it is important for our Turkish neighbors right now to aim at ending their meddling in the internal affairs of other states, be it Iraq or Syria,” Sergei Lavrov said.

He made the remarks during a joint press conference with his Moldovan counterpart Andrei Galbur in Moscow on Monday.

“There are enough facts and evidence that Turkey continues this interference and supports terrorism,” he added.

Ankara is widely believed to be the key conduit for armed militants slipping into Syria to join the foreign-backed militancy aimed at toppling the Damascus government.

Earlier this month, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said that purported evidence showed Ankara transferred arms and military hardware to the Daesh terrorist group in Syria under the cover of air convoys.

In February, the Russian Foreign Ministry also said that Ankara has been helping militants enter Syria illegally and join the terrorist groups that are fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Turkey also stands accused of buying oil from Daesh. Russia has released satellite images, apparently showing long lines of trucks carrying oil from Daesh-controlled areas in northeastern Syria into Turkey.

Fighting over Karabakh

Also on Monday, Lavrov referred to the recent clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the disputed border region of Karabakh, saying Ankara was “one-sided” in supporting its ally, Baku, in the fighting.

On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged his support for Azerbaijan, saying, “We pray our Azerbaijani brothers will prevail in these clashes with the least casualties.”

The fighting between the two countries erupted last Friday, leaving at least 33 troops and two civilians dead.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: meddling, Moscow, neighbors, stop, Turkey, Urges

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