Russia’s Foreign Ministry went one step further towards a deeper deterioration of the Greek-Russian relations, directly accusing the conservative government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis of “hypocricy” and a “defamation campaign against Russia.”
The verbal attack was launched by Maria Zakharova, the information and press director of the ministry in Moscow.
According to new agency TASS, Zakharova has stated that “common sense has been sacrificed in the collective western plans to harm Russia at any cost. Bilateral relations are being deliberately destroyed and Russian-Greek relations, unfortunately, are no exception.”
Zakharova said further that “Athens actively supports the EU sanctions regime.” with the aim of “abandoning Russian gas as soon as possible”, noting that its uninterrupted supply “has been a factor of stability of the local energy sector for decades.”
“For the sake of vague and dubious goals, the Greek leadership is ready to cancel the common historical heritage, which until yesterday was characterized as a natural advantage in its cooperation with Russia,” Zakharova said.
Citing a relevant statement, TASS reported that the ministry in Moscow, spoke also of “the unprecedented campaign launched by Greece to discredit Russia’s policy.”
“Senior officials in Athens allow themselves to make harsh accusations against our country and its leadership, also speaking hypocritically of ‘unprovoked aggression’ against Ukraine, of the first ‘mass invasion’ since World War II,” the ministry said.
“The European Union has chosen to silently watch the extermination of civilian population in Donbass, has become complicit in the long-running genocide of people in southeastern Ukraine. Now Europe, including Greece, they have become supporters of the Kiev regime and the Russophobic hysteria promoted by the authorities has reached a point of ignition. On this basis, deeply wrong, criminal decisions have been made, including the shipment of weapons to Ukraine. The result will be to turn them, among others, against civilians, including Greeks, whom the Ukrainian nationalist battalions are using as shields and who have already fallen victim to this inhumane tactic.”
In the name of collective Western plans – to do harm to Russia at all costs – common sense has been sacrificed. Bilateral ties are being deliberately damaged, and Russian-Greek relations, unfortunately, are no exception. Athens actively supports the EU sanctions regime. They accuse us of so-called “energy blackmail”, proclaiming the goal of rapid independence from Russian gas, whose uninterrupted supplies have been a stabilizing factor for the national energy sector for decades. Under the collective direction of Brussels, the Greek sky closed for the Russian airlines. The order was given to suspend all cooperation in the field of culture, to terminate the Common Tribute Years. There are calls for a complete cessation of any cooperation. Essentially, for the sake of vague and dubious goals, the Greek leadership is ready to nullify our own common historical heritage, which only yesterday it called its natural advantage in cooperating with Russia.
Time will put everything in its place, it will show who was right and who – at the critical moment – showed a lack of insight, made the wrong choice. We believe that the eternal bonds that unite the peoples of Russia and Greece will withstand these trials as well,” Zakharova’s statement concluded.
Zakharova’s statement comes after a series of Twitter posts by the Russian Embassy in Athens that seems to have put aside all tools of international diplomacy.
❗️Καλούμε όλους, που τόσο βιάστηκαν χθες να κατηγορήσουν για όλα τη Ρωσία (όπως πάντα), να συνέλθουν και να αναλάβουν τις ευθύνες τους, να σταματήσουν την αντιρωσική προπαγάνδα και να δείξουν ψυχραιμία, νηφαλιότητα και σοβαρότητα.
🔗 https://t.co/VnvEWUYeux https://t.co/nu123W8UqZ pic.twitter.com/fc82Urkao3
— Rus Embassy, Greece (@RFEmbassyGr) February 27, 2022
Last Sunday, furious about the lightening the Greek Parliament with the colors of Ukraine, the Russian Embassy in Athens lashed out at “high-ranking official, lawmakers, party officials, ministries, media and several parrots” and called them “to stop the anti-Russian propaganda.”
No such thing as a free meal , eventually we all have to pay ,we can only choose wisely those we become indebted to .
It would appear, for the sake of soundbites, that diplomacy has been kicked into touch. Whether you agree with the invasion or not, it cannot be denied that the west has, for many years, been pushing eastwards towards Russian territory.
Irrespective, diplomats should NOT be threatening each other in public – it only gets the hotheads going. Diplomats are supposed to be….. Diplomatic. And talk.
West is west by definition, as east is east , (see what I did there ),the countries that lie between choose which direction they lean for a democratic and secure existence , you and I don’t get to choose their future ,they do , the west didn’t vilify Belarusians for choosing east, or accuse Russia of expanding west .
It is also ridiculous to actually suggest that properly run democratic elections and referendums ever result in a well informed electorate choosing their future in the “east”, that’s what Mr Putin does not like ,it’s got nothing to do with western expansion, he hates the fact that old USSR outposts are no longer under his boot.
The electorate of the west would not allow their government employees to invade another country or expand , they would sack them , Putin can’t be sacked as he is a dictator who murders women and children .