Russia Joins Turkey in Attack on Greece Targeting PM Mitsotakis

Russia blasted Greece and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday for the statements he made during his recent visit to Washington as relations between the two countries reach a new low.

Greece’s anti-Russian stance is “a show of faith in the orders imposed by the United States and NATO”, said Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

“Athens is trying to justify its decision to be one of the first to join the anti-Russian front,” Zakharova added.

The Greek leader told US lawmakers, “[Putin] will not succeed…He must not succeed. Not only for the sake of Ukraine but also in order to send a message to all authoritarian leaders that historical revisionism and open acts of aggression that violate international law will not be tolerated.”

“We took sides. Unequivocally. We stand by Ukraine against Putin’s aggression,” he added.

Zakharova also took exception to the part of Mitsotakis’ speech in Congress where he said that fighters in Mariupol defended their city like the fighters of Missolonghi in 1826, preferring death over the loss of freedom.

“[It is] unbelievable that the heroes who defended Missolonghi in 1825 [to] 1826 are compared to the Nazis of the Azov,” she said. “The struggle of the Greeks for independence 200 years ago is not equivalent to the crimes committed by the Kyiv regime, which waged war against the citizens of Donbas for eight years,” she added.

In response to Zakharov‘s statements, Greek foreign affairs sources commented according to AMNA that “Unfortunately, these statements are a further escalation in bilateral relations, an escalation for which Greece bears no responsibility.”

Russia follows Erdogan’s outburst against Greece

The Russian attack against Greece and Prime Minister Mitsotakis follows the outburst of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who stated that the Greek PM “no longer exists” to him after the latter’s visit to Washington.

Erdogan said that Mitsotakis spoke out against Turkey at Congress. “He longer exists for me. I will never agree to meet with him. We will continue forward with honorable politicians,” he stated.

Mitsotakis hit back from Davos where he participated in the World Economic Forum.

Responding to a question regarding Erdogan’s reaction and relations with Turkey, Mitsotakis said: “…we are [neighbors with Turkey], we always need to talk, and we always want to keep channels of communication open. We are never going to be the ones who will not talk with our [neighbors].”

The Greek PM also added that: “On the other hand, if President Erdogan thinks that I will not defend the sovereignty and sovereign rights of Greece and I will not make the case to the international audience that Turkey is behaving as a revisionist power, then he’s wrong.”