The evacuation of Greeks from Mariupol began

The evacuation of Greek citizens from Mariupol has begun and is still relatively calm. It is reported that Consul General of Greece in Mariupol Manolis Androulakis will remain in the city, as the Consulate General will continue to work.

It is planned that the column with the evacuees will go from Mariupol to Zaporozhye, and from there to the border with Moldova.

“191 representatives of the Diaspora, mostly elderly people and children, will be taken to Kyiv by bus, and then to the island of Rhodes by plane,” R.A. at the Greek Foreign Ministry.

It is known that in Rhodes ethnic Greeks will be accommodated in a local hotel. What actions will be taken in the future is not specified.

The asylum program for representatives of the Greek diaspora is organized at the initiative of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad, the Foreign Ministry said.

The day before, the Greek Foreign Ministry informedthat 50 citizens of Greece and Cyprus were taken out of Ukraine through Romania. At Eleftherios Venizelos Airport, they were met by Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Katsaniotis. “In such cases, it is important to ensure safety. Secure the road for the Greek citizens to leave safely. They had arrived in Romania and a special flight had now been chartered to fly to Greece. Now they are going to Athens, and their adventure ends in a positive way,” the deputy minister quoted the situation step by step.

On March 2, the representative of the People’s Militia of the DPR Eduard Basurin declared about blocking the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. On the air of the Russia 24 TV channel, he said:

“One of the most combat-ready Ukrainian groups is surrounded in the city. Everything is going as planned. Mariupol is blocked. The troops will continue to move in the direction that will help us finally stop the shelling of residential areas of settlements not only here, but also among our neighbors in Luhansk.”

Media of the Russian Federation declarethat “The remnants of the Ukrainian army, the Azov and Aidar battalions of the DPR units were surrounded in Mariupol. Their destruction is slow, because they use local residents as a “human shield.”

Over the past 24 hours, there has been a very rapid development of diplomatic actions at the NATO level and EUsays the columnist of the Greek edition cathimerini. Now Athens is looking forward to developments in Ukraine after the first steps towards harmonization with Euro-Atlantic structures (sanctions, sending humanitarian and military aid). The Hellenic Armed Forces (Ε.Δ.) have been members of the NATO Rapid Reaction Force (NRF), led by France, from the outset, however, activation of these army units is not currently being requested.

The NRF operates within the borders of NATO member states and has been ordered to deploy to the east wing. For the current and future order of NATO forces, the leaders of E.D. Member States of the Alliance communicated on Monday evening via teleconference, which was also attended by the head of ΓΕΕΘΑ Konstantinos Floros.

In other parts of Greece, the operational picture of increased naval presence has remained unchanged since the start of the war in Ukraine. The strike group of the American aircraft carrier “Harry S. Truman” (USS Harry S. Truman) moves from the Adriatic to the south and at the same time eight Russian warships ply in the sea area south of the Peloponnese, while the picture is similar in the area between Cyprus and the coast of Syria – Lebanon. The Turkish government has decided to close the straits for warships, allowing the last ship belonging to the Russian Black Sea Fleet to go north.

At the diplomatic level, Athens points out in every direction that Greece’s position on the Ukrainian issue is one of principle and commitment to territorial integrity and respect for international law. It is also a turning point for Turkey, which, although a member of NATO, has avoided taking a stand in an attempt to keep relations with Russia intact. One of the issues raised is the fact that Russia is building four nuclear reactors on Turkish soil, that is, on the territory of a NATO member state.

At the level of the North Atlantic Treaty, increased pressure on Greece is expected in the near future, especially after Kosovo’s application for NATO membership. Although Athens has upgraded Pristina’s representation in Greece to an Office of Interest, it is difficult for the government to take the initiative at that level at a time when the war is still raging. The Russian diplomatic side continues to express dissatisfaction with the embassy in Athens, which yesterday condemned solution Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni, who said that the cancellation of the screening of “Swan Lake” in the Concert Hall is an anti-Russian policy, while alleging that the Mariupol Greeks were killed by militants of the Nazi battalion “Azov”.

“One of the most combat-ready Ukrainian groups is surrounded in the city. Everything is going as planned. Mariupol is blocked. The troops will continue to move in the direction that will help us finally stop the shelling of residential areas of settlements not only here, but also among our neighbors in Luhansk.”

Media of the Russian Federation declarethat “The remnants of the Ukrainian army, the Azov and Aidar battalions of the DPR units were surrounded in Mariupol. Their destruction is slow, because they use local residents as a “human shield.”

Over the past 24 hours, there has been a very rapid development of diplomatic actions at the NATO level and EUsays the columnist of the Greek edition cathimerini. Now Athens is looking forward to developments in Ukraine after the first steps towards harmonization with Euro-Atlantic structures (sanctions, sending humanitarian and military aid). The Hellenic Armed Forces (Ε.Δ.) have been members of the NATO Rapid Reaction Force (NRF), led by France, from the outset, however, activation of these army units is not currently being requested.

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