Greek Envoy in Moscow: Paving way for Tsipras visit, strengthening ties with Russia

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias.

to confirm the new Greek cabinet's commitment to upgrading ties with Russia, while showing no stomach for EU sanctions policy.

Visiting Moscow on his way from Berlin, Kotzias rebuffed criticism that the cash-strapped nation is hobnobbing with the Kremlin and hinted that the cabinet of Premier Tsipras will not turn its back on Russia.

, Associate Professor at the Institute of International Relations, , independent expert on Greek foreign policy, , Editor-in-Chief of international affairs news magazine and journalist, , prominent author, Deputy Head of the Center for Mediterranean Studies, Institute of Europe, Russian Academy of Sciences.

Andrew Korybko:

Kyrill Koktysh: I actually don't see any possibility not to get a tremendous success, because currently Brussels depends on Greece much more than Greece depends on Brussels. If Greece would really declare its intention to get out of the Eurozone, Greece immediately would be followed by Spain, Italy, by some countries of the Eastern Europe. This means that the price could be the collapse of the Euro currency, because it is not clear how to fasten the Eurozone. For Brussels the only option is to plead Athens not to do this.

In this case, of course, Greece has a good chance to play along with Russia. Greece now reverses the train and it has a strong hand to negotiate and to press Brussels. And Russia can help Greece in this bargaining with Brussels.

Andrew Korybko:

Anna Liatsou: I need to say that the visit of the Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias to Moscow on Wednesday was a very significant step, showing that Greece is actually trying to promote and, as it was said just after the elections, would be reverting towards Russia. This does not mean that Greece is turning its back to the Europe. Moreover, Mr. Tsipras said that being a member of the EU is an important factor for Greece, but Greece wants Europe to remember that there are not only the obligations that Greece has towards Europe, but also Greece has its power and the right to decide what to do.

Russia is viewed as a partner for Greece and Nikos Kotzias during his press conference in Moscow especially noted that what was said immediately after the elections continues.

Andrew Korybko:

Anna Liatsou: Mr. Kotzias is a very modern person, so to say. He has worked at the university and he is a professional diplomat as well. He knows how to speak. He very much relies on the ideas that he has. He is not a person to govern through emails, as people in Greece say. He definitely supports the negotiations and he takes part in them. He actually chooses who he would like to speak to. And the fact that he came to Moscow is a very significant fact. He is personally interested in promoting the pre-election program and I think he is very good minister for Russia as well.

Andrew Korybko:

Manuel Ochsenreiter: If we look into the German mainstream media and how they were covering exactly that topic, we can see that there is a lot of fear-mongering. I'll give you an example. One of the leading German liberal weekly newspapers, was commenting on those approaches of the Syriza Government towards Moscow. They were writing that this endangers the soul of Europe.

Andrew Korybko:

Manuel Ochsenreiter: I think this would be a big change. I mean, we have to look at it on several levels, not just on the financial level. First of all, we see that the member country of the EU is pointing out its own sovereignty. And sovereignty is always the financial sovereignty also. This is the thing not used in Brussels anymore, as well as in Berlin, in London and in Paris. They thought that is already long time over. So, Greece now starts behaving like a sovereign country and for Brussels this is a very new situation.

Andrew Korybko:

Alexander Rytov: I think that, of course, Greece needs some big change in its big debt burden, because from 2008 the country is developing as a developing country with the terrible social cuts, with the survival style of life and it is not the standard of the EU. It could last for 2-3, maybe, 4 years, but it now it lasts from 2008 and many entities of the small business of Greece disappeared, and the key countries are capturing more and more space, and business and the cultural terrain of the country is becoming poorer and poorer. That's why, of course, it is necessary to see some change in the development.

And Greece has its historical claim and reasons for a lighter burden, and for the restructuring of the debts. Those debts are the result of the Greek political support of the developments in the Balkans. In public Greece didn't support the war in Yugoslavia and the consequences. But it played its role as a member of NATO and the EU. Its role was very much important for the political and psychological environment around Yugoslavia crisis. And the majority of the debts and credits Greece received, were the credits from the 1990s and the beginning of 2000.

I'm sure that in case Greece would have decided to restructure its debt in 2006 before the Kosovo solution, it would have met a better reaction and a real restructuring of the burden. But it was the fault of Greece that it didn't follow the political conjuncture and missed its fantastic chance to change and lay the blame on the political and financial gamblers in the country. Let's hope that the situation will change, because it is not a good standard for the EU.

Chomsky: We Are All – Fill in the Blank.

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