Kathimerini Greece Newsroom
Like every other government, Greece’s is closely following Tuesday’s US presidential election and its possible repercussions for global relations and diplomacy.
Regardless of whether Kamala Harris or Donald Trump wins, Greek officials do not see any great resets, or upheavals, in bilateral relations with the United States or in the Ankara-Athens-Washington triangle.
During the past four years, Greece developed close relations at several levels with the Biden administration, in keeping with promoting the country’s interests. Some within the Trump camp or the Republican party, to the extent that those are different entities, may view these negatively. Nonetheless, the Greek government feels safe in the event of a Republican takeover, for four reasons.
First, government officials say they have developed strong communication channels with key personnel in both likely administrations. The latest example is Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ meeting with Mike Pompeo, a likely defense secretary in a Trump administration, and who, as secretary of state, already had dealt with two successive Greek governments. The contribution of Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou, a former ambassador to Washington who knows the ins and outs of the US capital’s political ecosystem, should also be considered.
Second is Greece’s beginning, on January 1, of its two-year term as a non-permanent United Nations Security Council member. Its presence would be useful to the US, with two major ongoing conflicts, in the Ukraine and the Middle East, and others potentially erupting.
Third is the value to Washington of the NATO naval base in Souda, Crete, as well as the newer base in Alexandroupoli and its proximity to Eastern Europe. Their importance will not diminish, whichever administration takes over on January 20.
Fourth, there are no pending decisions concerning weapons procurement, since the major acquisition of the F-35 jets has already been initiated.
A caveat to the above is Donald Trump’s well-documented soft spot for strongmen like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This could result in Turkey being readmitted to the F-35 program from which it was booted for buying Russian weapons systems. But Erdogan’s overt hostility to Israel could complicate any tightening of US-Turkish relations.
