Greece: the main opposition opposed the withdrawal of the BMP-1 from the islands and their transfer to Ukraine

The main Greek opposition party, SYRIZA, stressed in a statement that “the government must immediately answer whether there is any truth in the reports that talk about the hasty withdrawal of BMP-1s from the islands of the eastern Aegean to be sent to Ukraine.”

At the same time, the authors of the statement add that “due to the fact that we are still waiting for the German Marder, which require a significant period from receipt to entry into service, while the institutional procedure for deciding to replace the BMP1 has not been followed” .

In a joint statement, Shadow Cabinet Ministers Thodoris Dritsas, Panagiotis Rigas and Georgios Tsipras stressed:

“It has only been two months since German Chancellor Scholz told us that Greece will send Soviet-made BMP-1s to Ukraine, which will be replaced by German Marders. At that time, we noted the following: “Either they will send our BMP-1s to Ukraine after the end of the war, so that during this time they will be promptly replaced by German BMPs, or they expect to deliver BMP-1s before the Germans enter service, thereby weakening the defense of the Eastern Aegean islands at an extremely dangerous time, as the government itself admits. In the first case there is no logic, in the second – there is a crime!

This statement, as expected, was met with soothing and ironic comments of dismay from the pro-government media. The latest posts that have not been refuted The Ministry of Defense points to the hasty withdrawal of the BMP-1 from the islands of the Eastern Aegean in order to send them to Ukraine.

“At the latest meeting of the Committee on Arms Programs, it was reportedly decided to purchase half a billion euros of amphibious infantry fighting vehicles, the main purpose of which is the operational ability to protect the islands, without any logic of prioritizing defense needs“, according to the publication ProNews.

“Lack of logic is the biggest flaw in defense planning. How else can one explain the generous financial support for the ability to retake the islands with a questionable cost-benefit ratio, and at the same time, if the reports are true, it is dangerous to weaken the already existing defenses of the islands for the sake of Ukraine?”writes ProNews.

“Unfortunately, there is an interpretation. This is the execution of contracts and the acceptance of international “obligations” by Mitsotakis – Demetriadis in collusion with the dubious consent of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense of the same government.

And the demilitarization of the islands is going by the wayside, as desired by international actors*, and Greece is at the forefront of military involvement in Ukraine, since it has no obligations and interests, and offers the same actors expensive weapons programs of dubious priority for the defense of the country. Programs whose cost will be borne by the Greek people when Mr. Mitsotakis is no longer here.

Moreover, the lack of institutional procedures for the withdrawal of the BMP-1 is unprecedented even in the current government’s track record. Has an agreement been reached with the German side on their proposed replacement with German vehicles, or are the BMP-1s withdrawn and … we’ll see? Was there a meeting and a decision of the General Staff on this matter, or is it all manipulations of the Prime Minister’s administration?

The expiration of the four-year time limit for fulfilling “contracts” and “commitments” for Mr. Mitsotakis to prove that he remains needed and useful may be in the interests of some international actors while the crisis in Ukraine lasts, and, of course, Mr. to Mitsotakis. But this does not bring anything positive for the Greek people and the long-term interests of the countriess,” the authors of the publication emphasize.

Accelerating the process of dismantling and surrendering the BMP-1, if these reports are correct, against the backdrop of a government crisis of interceptions and against the backdrop of the worst escalation of Turkish threats and illegal claims in the last 25 years, shows that the prime minister will become more and more ruthless as his chair creaks. Will the Secretary of State for National Defense whisper something about what’s going on, or is he also “just presiding” like the Prime Minister with the NSA?”

*actor of international relations) – these are the subjects that participate in international relations and influence them (change them). In the field of international relations, an actor should be understood as any authority, any organization, any group, and even any individual capable of playing a certain role and exerting influence. The actors of international relations are: states, international organizations (governmental and non-governmental), transnational corporations (TNCs), national liberation movements, various social movements, informal international clubs (“G8”, “G20”, BRICS, Club of Rome …), private persons (for more details, see Subjects of International Relations).

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