New defense agreement with US does not safeguard Greece's sovereignty, says SYRIZA
Main opposition party SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance said the new defense agreement between Greece and the United States, signed in Washington on Thursday, might involve Greece in unwanted regional tensions.
Included in the agreement is a military installation in the northern Greek city of Alexandroupolis, which allows for the speedy deployment of US troops to Bulgaria and Romania, noted the party in its statement, adding that "this could put Greece in the front-line of potential tensions in the Black Sea." Despite this serious security risk, added the party, the government presents "generalizations about the agreement safeguarding and respecting Greece's sovereign rights."
Kyriakos Mitsotakis "is the country's first prime minister in modern times to provide military facilities on Greek soil to another country indefinitely," it added.
Additionally, the agreement does not explicitely secure specific US presence, involvement or commitment to support Greece's sovereignty in the face of Turkish aggression, especially in the Aegean and the East Mediterranean, SYRIZA concluded.