Karamanlis: Our government had a multidimensional approach to foreign policy

“Our government had a multidimensional approach to its foreign policy”: With this phrase, former Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis defended once again the diplomatic achievements of the period 2004-2009, speaking at event of the SEKE in Xanthi.

And in particular the opening to China and the agreement with COSCO In fact, Karamanlis“ speech was almost identical to his speech last November at the event for the 30th anniversary of the Hellenic-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, which had taken place at a time of intense pressure from the US for the ”expulsion" of COSCO from the port of Piraeus.

Today's speech of Karamanlis in Xanthi though seems to have caused discontent in Maximos, because the former Prime Minister chose to participate in this event while he will be absent from the New Democracy congress, which starts tomorrow, Friday 15 May, in Athens.

Mr.Karamanlis however, avoided to reiterate his disagreements with the foreign policy of the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Only indirectly, by referring to the “multidimensional foreign policy” of his own governments, did he show his objections. But he mainly focused on defending his own policy, for which he had been criticized by Mitsotakis himself for immobility.

“We wanted to make Greece a strategic hub”

“Our vision was to promote the cooperation with different geopolitical powers, in order to make Greece a strategic hub of international importance. With an emphasis on economic diplomacy, Greece would be placed on the map as the hub where multiple and multifaceted interests would converge, thus exploiting its comparative advantages and upgrading its geopolitical importance”, the former Prime Minister said.

“At the same time, China's rapid economic growth was driving it towards extroversion. Thus, Beijing's strategic vision envisaged expanding the country's economic influence beyond its borders. In the direction of Europe, China was looking for the most suitable gateway to European markets,” he also recalled.

He noted that at that time there was no opposition to this investment from partners and allies. “Years later it became known that Greece's readiness to put Piraeus on this map caused great disappointment in other neighbouring European countries,” Karamanlis said.

He expressed his satisfaction that Greece has been a pioneer in the efforts of closer cooperation between European countries and China.

“In 2008 no other serious international player was interested in Piraeus”

“This year marks exactly 20 years since this strategic character took institutional form with the signing of the Integrated Strategic Partnership during my visit to China in 2006. A key parameter of this agreement was cooperation in the maritime sector”, the former Prime Minister also recalled.

He noted that in 2008, President Hu Jintao's visit to Greece was followed by the signing of an agreement for COSCO to take over the operation and management of two container terminals at the port of Piraeus.

“The investment was then one of the largest ever made in Greece. Today, the port of Piraeus is among the top five in Europe and the largest in the Mediterranean.”, Karamanlis stressed. He also said that: “Thousands of jobs have been created, the general economic activity through the port has been significantly boosted and the investment is a stable source of revenue for the state directly and indirectly. At the same time, COSCO's total investments in Piraeus now amount to more than 600 million euros.”

Karamanlis also stressed that: “At that time, no other serious international player had expressed interest in the port of Piraeus. However, it is the takeover and development of Piraeus by COSCO that today has created a competitive environment, which has attracted the interest of other international players.”

He was referring implicitly but clearly to the desire of the Trump administration to have the US enter the port of Piraeus, even though the agreement with COSCO is of course in force.

“China today can play a calming and stabilising role”

“The strategic relationship we launched with China back then has brought mutual benefits. The road is not always smooth. We belong to different geopolitical formations and the broader context often outweighs us”, the former Prime Minister also commented.

But he appreciated that: “Today, in a world that is now multipolar and increasingly unpredictable, unstable and uncertain, China, which has chosen to pursue a non-interventionist policy, can play an important calming and stabilising role.” He thus implicitly referred to the Today's visit of US President Donald Trump to Beijing and in the meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, in which the situation in the Strait of Hormuz due to the war with Iran was discussed, among other things.

“In parallel, Greece and China share common concerns, but also common interests. China firmly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus and Greece firmly supports the principle of one China,” Karamanlis also said.

The former Prime Minister noted that in addition to tobacco, SKE has been developing in recent years in the field of marketing and standardization of quality Greek agricultural products, such as Greek honey, pomegranate juice and Greek olive oil.

“We look forward and are ready to respond to a cooperation with China, so that the citizens of your country have the opportunity to taste and include in their diet products of excellent quality, at competitive prices”, concluded Karamanlis, welcoming the Chinese ambassador to Thrace.