ATHENS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st June, 2022) The Greek Coalition of Radical Left, or SYRIZA, on Tuesday strongly opposed Greece's deliveries of heavy arms to Ukraine after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the agreement with Athens.
Scholz told a press conference earlier on Tuesday that Greece will transfer its Soviet-era tanks to Ukraine in exchange for heavy machinery provided by Berlin. The chancellor noted that he reached this agreement with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during the meeting in Brussels earlier in the day.
"Just days after US Secretary of Defense (Lloyd Austin) informed us of Mitsotakis' decision to send new, heavier weapons to Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz informed us that Greece will send armored vehicles to Ukraine � the armored vehicles needed for the country's defense, of course, although it will be replaced with other German armored vehicles," SYRIZA said in a statement, adding that it "considers it inconceivable that the Greek people have to hear the news from the German chancellor while the Greek prime minister did not say a word about it during his press conference."
The coalition said that Greece's dangerous involvement in the conflict in Ukraine is increasing weekly, while tensions with Turkey are escalating at the same time.
"Mitsotakis' government must stop making secret decisions on critical national issues. Especially since the majority of Greeks oppose choices putting the country's security in danger and contradicting our national interests. We demand that the information about the weapons that it has sent and will send to Ukraine be immediately provided as all European governments do with respect to their citizens," the statement read.
The Greek Movement for Change, or KINAL, also demanded explanations from the government.
"The government must inform the political parties about all aspects of this agreement, which Mr. Mitsotakis suppressed during his speech to journalists, raising reasonable questions about the actual content of the meeting with Mr. Scholz," KINAL said in a statement.
Athens supplied Ukraine with 40 tonnes of "defense equipment" via the territory of Poland on February 27. Since then, the Greek government has repeatedly stated that it will no longer be sending new weaponry to Kiev not to undermine its own defensive capabilities.
Austin said on May 23 that many countries, including Italy, Greece, Norway, and Poland, announced new deliveries of artillery systems and ammunition to Ukraine. After the parties requested the confirmation from the government, Greek National Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos revealed a new shipment of "defense equipment" to Ukraine; however, he did not specify what kind of weapons were sent.
