Greece does not recognize the “CPTS”, but Russian-Greek relations are undermined – 2024-03-31 01:27:32

In an interview with “Izvestia”, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said again that Armenia recognized Nagorno Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan in Prague, which was “unexpected” for Moscow. He connects the subsequent events with Nikol Pashinyan’s “Syrian past” and the implementation of the plan to remove Armenia from the CSTO and EAEU, which he still had as an opposition member of the National Assembly.

In this context, it is quite interesting that the Greek periodical Kathimerini made a publication dedicated to Russian-Greek relations. The author makes the main argument: Russia has changed its attitude towards Cyprus, its policy towards Ukraine is “very similar” to Turkey’s expansionist ambitions against Greece. The fact is cited that when in the north of Kioros in 2023 In the summer, the Turkish occupation troops clashed with the UN peacekeepers, the Security Council failed to pass a resolution because Russia vetoed the project presented by Great Britain, and the Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov called the Turkish self-proclaimed entity the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”.

Only Turkey and Azerbaijan use that name. In this regard, it should be mentioned that in the same period, the “President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” visited Baku, and for the first time, a memorandum of cooperation in the fields of science, education, culture and tourism was signed between the parties. If the reason for Russia’s change in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is Nikol Pashinyan’s recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan in Prague, what is the reason for the change in Moscow’s position in the case of Cyprus? After all, the Prime Minister of Greece did not recognize the northern part of Cyprus as an independent state or part of Turkey.

The Greek newspaper cites another important fact, the statement of Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov that according to the international convention, “Greece can claim to establish its maritime border at a depth of 12 miles, but if the neighboring country brings historical arguments, then the issue should be discussed on the principle of finding a balance of interests.” : We are talking about the Turkish-Greek sea border and the so-called “disputed islands” that Turkey demands to be completely demilitarized. This is very similar to Moscow’s approach to Armenian-Azerbaijani demarcation.

Finally, the Greek newspaper expresses regret that the situation has forced the Russian ambassador in Athens not to be invited to the official ceremony of the next anniversary of the Greek National Liberation War, assessing that “Russian-Greek relations are undermined”. According to his generalization, the main reason is that Russia is acting in Ukraine with “propaganda to protect compatriots, which is what Turkey is always saying to Greece”. Despite the recent Turkish-Greek contacts, in Athens, it turns out, no one has forgotten Erdogan’s statement that he “hears the moaning of the mosques of Thessaloniki”.