Grecia y la OTAN: la opinión de la nueva generación

Greece and NATO:

view from the next generation

How do you see NATO's past?

If we talk about the past,

definitely NATO

played a key role...

It was the factor of stabilisation,

back in that time.

In a perspective of the clash

between the two superpowers,

the United States of America

and their Allies,

and the Soviet-Union

and the Warsaw Pact,

it served the purpose of the time.

I mean, the joint membership

of Greece and Turkey in NATO.

It prevented Soviet projection

of power inside the Mediterranean,

it prevented the Soviet fleet from

coming down to the Mediterranean.

So, in that case it helped.

It helped the West,

it helped the NATO Alliance.

How do you see NATO today?

To me, as well as to most Greeks,

NATO is the basic security pillar

on which my country’s security

and defence policy is based upon.

There have been

some setbacks and problems

in this journey through the decades,

but generally,

and for the EU

and especially for Greece,

I think nobody doubts that it is

and it will be the basic security pillar

of our defence policy.

I find NATO to be the most important

and the most efficient military

organisation that there is today.

By efficient, I don’t mean

that it is always efficient,

but it is more efficient

than other military organisations

or other militaries, either from states

or from other organisations.

Well, I think

that NATO plays a key role.

I mean, it started

as a defence organisation.

Now it does many things

in many domains.

That’s very important, like

environment or cyber security, etc.

What role has NATO played

in Greece and Turkey’s relationship?

I think that it didn’t do

what it had to do

to preventing crises

and to solving conflicts

between Greece and Turkey.

I think it has made both countries

feel more secure towards each other

because they both belong in NATO.

On the other hand,

yes, there have been problems

between Greece and Turkey.

The most important being

the invasion of Cyprus by Turkey.

NATO didn’t help Greece.

I don’t know if it could help

Greece at that point

because both countries

are members of NATO.

And there are no provisions

about what happens

when two allied countries

have a conflict.

How do you see NATO’s future?

It plays a very important role

in international politics.

I think there is room for improvement.

So I would like to get to know

NATO better from the inside

and also reflect on what could be

improved in NATO, in its operations,

in its post-conflict peace-building,

things like that.

But the fact is that it makes us

feel more secure and I think…

We don’t need to worry as much

as we would if we were alone.