Turkey is currently engaged in a race to prevent developments on the ground that could be detrimental to its interests. ‘It does not like the fact that Greece is becoming the main player in energy security in Eastern Europe,’ said Tasos Hadjivassiliou, MP for Serres and Secretary for International Relations and EU Affairs of New Democracy, speaking on Tuesday morning on SKAI.

Hadjivassiliou explained that Ankara was annoyed by the recent visits of top US and European ministers to Athens, as well as by Greece’s increasingly important role on the international energy map. He noted that ‘all of this is creating irritation in Turkey,’ as it sees Greece strengthening its strategic position through recent agreements.

Referring to the possibility of Turkey acquiring the F-35, Hadjivassiliou said that ‘it is still difficult to obtain them’ and that Ankara faces ‘two major problems.’ ‘The first is changing the CAATSA law in Congress,’ he explained, ‘and the second is finding a solution regarding the S-400,’ an issue ‘pending since the Pompeo era.’

He also recalled a new condition set by the US: ‘to wean Turkey off Russian oil and gas.’ Given that Turkey’s energy dependence on Russia is around 50%, Hadjivassiliou noted that this presents ‘a difficult equation,’ especially as ‘the South Stream and Turkish Stream pipelines are no longer being pursued following the Greece-Ukraine agreement.’

On the Cyprus issue, he said that the election of new leadership in the occupied territories creates ‘cautious optimism,’ but stressed that the key question is whether the new Turkish Cypriot leadership ‘will be able to prioritize Cypriot interests over Turkish ones.’ He also recalled the example of Akinci, who ‘despite initially moderate positions, did not manage to break away.’

Hadjivassiliou further stressed that Russia ‘will probably continue hybrid-type threats,’ making European defence preparedness necessary. ‘Europe should at least be ready in theory to respond to hybrid threats,’ he said, adding that ‘a defence arm in the European Union is necessary—not for military campaigns, but for defending the European way of life, common principles, and values.’

Finally, referring to the Mitsotakis-Zelenski agreement, he emphasized the importance of cooperation in maritime defence, noting that ‘it would be very important for Greece to proceed with the design and production of maritime drones,’ both for technological advancement and to strengthen the Greek defence industry. ‘Greek technology, jobs, growth, and innovation,’ he concluded.