Athens Divided Over Turkey’s Potential Role in EU Defense Initiative

10:57 27/5/2025 - Πηγή: Dikaiologitika

A political storm is brewing in Greece over the prospect of Turkey participating in a new European Union defense initiative, as tensions flare between the ruling government and the opposition PASOK party.

At

the heart of the controversy is the SAFE (Strategic Autonomy for Europe) program, also known as ReArm Europe, a proposed €150 billion EU financial mechanism aimed at strengthening the bloc’s defense capabilities through low-interest, short-term loans. But as details of the initiative emerge, so do disagreements in Athens over whether candidate countries like Turkey should be allowed to benefit.

The government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has suggested that Turkey’s involvement could be conditioned on the lifting of its longstanding casus belli—a formal threat of war against Greece if it exercises its right to extend territorial waters in the Aegean.

This has triggered a fierce backlash from PASOK-KINAL leader Nikos Androulakis, who denounced the idea as “unthinkable” and accused the government of giving away leverage for little in return.

“Turkey has no place in European defense,” Androulakis said in a radio interview on Monday, citing Ankara’s aggressive posture in the Aegean, its occupation of northern Cyprus since 1974, and its poor human rights record. He dismissed the notion that the casus belli condition is a significant concession. “Is that the best we can ask for? Are we going to hand them such a gift?” he asked.

Androulakis doubled down on his criticism later in the day during a PASOK strategy session, accusing the government of presenting a diplomatic retreat as an opportunity. He argued that Greece should have used its voice in EU negotiations to push back more forcefully against any Turkish involvement, particularly given Ankara’s history of antagonism toward both Greece and Cyprus.

In response, the Greek government defended its approach as pragmatic and strategically sound. Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis argued that Androulakis was trivializing complex geopolitical dynamics.

“This is not foreign policy for amateurs,” he said. Marinakis stressed that any participation by third countries in the EU’s defense structure must pass through a series of conditions—including the unanimous agreement of all EU member states.

According to the government, Prime Minister Mitsotakis has used this moment to raise one of Greece’s longest-standing foreign policy demands: the withdrawal of Turkey’s casus belli. Marinakis insisted that such terms are not symbolic, nor are they easily disregarded. “The European Union is not naive,” he said. “These conditions exist for a reason.”

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Athens Divided Over Turkey’s Potential Role,EU Defense Initiative