“The European Commission’s report on Turkey reflects the truth. I don’t believe there is any European who denies the reality that there are problems with the rule of law in Turkey,” said Serres MP and Secretary of International Relations and EU Affairs for New Democracy, Tasos Hadjivassiliou, speaking to SKAI TV.

He noted that in Turkey “there are imprisonments of politicians and journalists,” and added that “the report also includes references to Greece’s positions on good neighborly relations, the casus belli, and the unacceptable concept of ‘grey zones’ that Turkey occasionally promotes in the Aegean.”

Hadjivassiliou went on to say:

“I would like to address a question to all those in Greece who have accused the government of supposedly ‘washing out’ Turkey internationally. In the European document par excellence—the Commission’s report—I saw nothing of the sort. Quite the opposite, in fact.”

On Greek–American relations

Commenting on the arrival of the new U.S. Ambassador to Athens, Hadjivassiliou said:

“It is positive that she will serve as an effective channel of communication with Donald Trump. They share a close personal relationship, which will be helpful.”

On the upcoming Transatlantic Energy Cooperation Forum in Athens, he noted:

“It is no coincidence that top U.S. officials are coming to Greece. Our country is becoming a provider of energy security for the region—and the Americans are the first to recognize this.”

Referring to Greece’s strategic position, he emphasized:

“Greece now has high-level energy infrastructure—among the best in the world—and can supply energy security to its northern neighbors, reaching as far as Ukraine or even further west, to Slovakia and Hungary. Our main goal is the Vertical Corridor—the interconnection of existing and future energy routes to ensure security of supply from South to North, independent of Russian gas.”

Finally, he underlined that these initiatives “will ultimately bring cheaper energy,” adding that “the green corridors—namely the Greece–Egypt and Greece–Cyprus–Israel cables, as well as the planned Greece–Saudi Arabia interconnection—are part of this long-term strategy.”