US: Greece a close friend
When US Vice-President Joe Biden’s visit to Greece was planned months ago, the trip was to shore up the embattled government of an old and trusted friend, then-premier George Papandreou. Alhough Papandreou has since been forced out of office, the confluence of US-Greece economic and geopolitical interests remains.
Despite Greece’s no longer being in the eye of the eurozone storm, its stabilisation remains part of the euro-rescue package, which in turn is of vital interest to the US economy and, of course, to President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign.
The geopolitical balances between Greece, Cyprus, Israel and Turkey will naturally figure prominently in Biden’s talks with Premier Lucas Papademos and President Karolos Papoulias.
The Cyprus-Israel alliance in exploiting the rich gas deposits in the southeastern Mediterranean, in concert with the American Noble Energy company, along with the emerging Greece-Israel partnership, have tipped the regional balances against Turkey for the first time in decades.
For Cyprus, the gas card should normally have been a significant factor in exacting concessions from Turkey in ongoing Cyprus settlement talks, since the Turkish-Cypriots have much to gain as participants in a unified federal state.
But there are indications that Washington may put the brakes on such a strategy, due to Turkey’s geopolitical importance. Moreover, the US is eager to mend ties between Turkey and Israel, which could again shift the regional balances.
Still, the emerging role of Cyprus and Greece in the regional energy grid – Greece is believed to have major oil and gas deposits south of Crete and near the island of Kastellorizo – can limit the geopolitical downgrading of Greece due to the financial crisis.
Biden’s national security advisor, Antony Blinken, and his international economic affairs advisor, Michael Froman, underlined that Biden will offer a vote of confidence in Greece’s fiscal adjustment efforts.
“We think it’s very important to show our ongoing support for Greece, for a close friend and partner, as it goes through a difficult time,” said Blinken, a distinguished foreign policy expert that has worked with Biden since his days on the Senate foreign relations committee, in a teleconference with journalists on November 28.
For his part, Froman described the fiscal and structural reforms in Greece’s EU-IMF programme as critical, noting that the “US very much recognises the sacrifices being made by the Greek people”.
At critical junctures, US support for the Greek bailout packages – both in the IMF and in Washington’s contacts with Berlin – has been decisive.
Beyond expressing American support for Greece in its efforts to survive the crisis, Blinken’s comments highlighted Turkey’s exceeding geopolitical importance for Washington.
From Ankara’s tough line against Syria to its troops in Afghanistan and its function as a role model for Middle Eastern countries, the national security adviser stressed that Washington is relying heavily on Turkey at a time of major upheaval in the Middle East and North Africa.
In contrast, nothing was mentioned of Greece’s geopolitical role, even in its Balkan backyard.
Biden’s visit will coincide with the December 5 International Court of Justice ruling on a petition by the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Fyrom), charging that Athens blocked Skopje’s admission to Nato due to the dispute over its name with Greece.
Here, one can expect Biden to urge the parties to find a solution in stalled UN-sponsored talks, especially if reports of a ruling partially in Skopje’s favour are confirmed.
Source: athensnews.gr
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