FOREIGN
RELATIONS
Greece's foreign policy is aligned with that of its EU partners. Greece gives particular emphasis to its close relations with Cyprus but also has growing political and economic ties with the Balkan countries and the Middle East.
Greece maintains full diplomatic, political, and economic relations with its south-central European neighbors. It provides peacekeeping contingents for Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan. Greece has good relations with Russia and has embassies in a number of the central Asian republics, which it sees as potentially important trading partners.
Prominent issues in Greek foreign policy include Greek-Turkish differences in the Aegean, Turkish accession to the EU, the name dispute with Macedonia, the reunification of Cyprus, the international community's recognition of Kosovo's independence, and Greek-American relations. For 2005-2006, Greece held a 2-year, rotating seat on the UN Security Council.
Macedonia
The Greek dispute with its northern neighbor over its constitutional name,
Republic of Macedonia, has been an important issue in Greek politics since 1992
and has inhibited the establishment of full diplomatic relations. Greece was
adamantly opposed to the use of "Macedonia" by the government in Skopje, claiming that the term is intrinsically Greek and should not be used by a foreign country. Mediation efforts by the UN and the United States brokered an interim agreement whereby Greece recognized the country as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) in September 1995. At NATO's Bucharest Summit in April 2008, all 26 NATO Allies agreed Macedonia had met the criteria for membership. Consensus on extending a NATO membership invitation could not be reached, due to the unresolved dispute over Macedonia's name. Talks on the name question continue under UN auspices.
In November 2008, the Macedonian Government filed a brief with the International Court of Justice at the Hague arguing that Athens broke the 1995 UN interim accord when it blocked Skopje's bid to join NATO in April 2008. Athens has indicated it will contest the Macedonian action before the court, while remaining in the ongoing UN-sponsored talks on the name issue.
Albania
Greece restored diplomatic relations with Albania in 1971, but
the Greek Government did not formally lift the state of war, declared
during World War II, until 1987. After the fall of the Albanian
communist regime in 1991, relations between Athens and Tirana
became increasingly strained because of allegations of mistreatment
of the Greek ethnic minority by Albanian authorities in southern
Albania. A wave of Albanian illegal economic migrants to Greece
exacerbated tensions. In the past several years, however, cooperation
between Greece and Albania has improved, with efforts focused
on regional issues, such as narcotics trafficking and illegal
immigration. However, tensions hover just below the surface. Greece
remains host to 600,000-800,000 Albanian immigrants, many of them
illegal. Albanian crime in Greece often attracts headlines.
Greece-Turkey-Cyprus
Relations
For historical reasons, most Greeks see Turkey as the major potential threat to their security. Greece and Turkey have unresolved disagreements regarding the Aegean maritime boundary, the treatment of the Orthodox Church and Greek minority in Istanbul, and the Muslim (primarily ethnic Turkish) minority in western Thrace. The largest source of tension in their relationship since 1974 has been the Cyprus conflict. Various UN-led efforts over the years to resolve the issue on a bizonal, bicommunal basis have failed. The latest attempt, the Annan Plan, was overwhelmingly rejected by Greek Cypriots in March 2004. Turkish Cypriots voted in favor of the plan and both Greece and Turkey expressed their approval. The Republic of Cyprus entered the EU on May 1, 2004 as a divided island.
In September 2008, the government of the Republic of Cyprus re-opened inter-communal talks with the Turkish Cypriot side toward a comprehensive settlement on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation. The UN has welcomed this development and continues to encourage both parties to address the key problems of the Cyprus issue. Greece has expressed its support for the talks.
At times over the past three decades, tensions between Greece and Turkey have almost reached the point of armed confrontation. In 1996, President Clinton intervened to help avert a possible armed exchange after Greek and Turkish journalists generated a dispute over ownership of a tiny, uninhabited Aegean islet called Imia (Kardak in Turkish.) A significant breakthrough in relations took place when major earthquakes hit Turkey and Greece in 1999. Both countries and peoples responded generously to the other's need, helping turn around official perceptions that rapprochement was too risky politically. Since that time, Greek and Turkish Foreign Ministers have increased the quantity and quality of bilateral exchanges, both official and unofficial.
Greece has endorsed and supported Turkey's bid for candidacy to the European Union since the Helsinki EU Summit in 1999. Despite continuing disagreements with Ankara over Cyprus and the Aegean, Greek opinion leaders generally believe that Greece's long-term interests are best served by Turkey's successfully fulfilling the requirements for membership and eventually joining the European Union. The EU opened accession talks with Turkey on October 3, 2005. In December 2006, amid continuing dispute over Cyprus, the EU froze talks with Turkey on eight chapters regarding accession and stated that no chapters would be closed until a resolution is found.
The
Middle East
Greece claims a special interest in the Middle East because of its geographic position and its economic and historic ties to the area. Greece cooperated with allied forces during the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War. Since 1994, Greece has signed defense cooperation agreements with Israel and Egypt. In recent years, Greek leaders have hosted several meetings of Israeli and Palestinian politicians to contribute to the peace process. Greece has been traditionally supportive of Palestinian claims. However, beginning in the late 1990s, efforts to strike a more balanced relationship with Israel received a boost. Greek-Israeli relations have been complicated by Israel's strategic cooperation with Turkey. Israeli President Moshe Katsav visited Greece in 2006, the first-ever official visit by an Israeli head of state.
U.S.-GREECE
RELATIONS
The United States and Greece have longstanding historical, political, and cultural ties based on a common heritage, shared democratic values, and participation as Allies during World War II, the Korean conflict, and the Cold War. The Greek government responded to the September 11, 2001 attacks with strong political support for the United States, use of Greek airspace, and the offer of Greek military assets in support of the counterterrorism campaign. Its participation in Operation Enduring Freedom included the stationing of a Greek Navy frigate in the Arabian Sea for almost 2 years--the most distant deployment for the Greek Navy since WWII.
In the summer of 2002, Greek authorities captured numerous suspected members of the terrorist group "November 17." In 2003, 15 members of the terrorist organization, which since 1975 had killed many prominent Greeks and five U.S. mission employees, were found guilty and convicted for more than 2,500 crimes, including multiple counts of homicide. In December 2005, a three-judge panel opened an appeals trial for the November 17 convicts, which lasted for 17 months. At its conclusion on May 3, two defendants were acquitted, while at the sentencing for the other 13 terrorists on May 14, 2007, the court largely upheld the results of the initial trial, leaving the leadership of the defunct group serving multiple life sentences and others serving long prison terms. Under the Greek system, however, two of the convicted prisoners were eligible for parole almost immediately (no action taken as mid-November 2007), and another will be eligible 18 months after imposition of the sentence.
In the early morning hours of January 12, 2007, terrorists fired a rocket-propelled grenade through a front window of the U.S. Embassy. A group calling itself Revolutionary Struggle later claimed responsibility for the act. Some see the domestic terrorist organization as a splinter group arising from the remnants of November 17 followers. Revolutionary Struggle also claimed responsibility for attempting to assassinate the Minister of Culture and former Minister of Public Order Georgos Voulgarakis in a bomb blast in May 2006.
There is smooth cooperation between U.S. and Greek counter-terrorism officials. Greek and American diplomatic, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies worked closely together in the build-up to and throughout the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens. In January 2006, the United States and Greece signed protocols updating treaties covering extradition and mutual legal assistance, which further strengthened this cooperation.
An estimated three million Americans resident in the United States claim Greek descent. This large, well-organized community cultivates close political and cultural ties with Greece. There are approximately 90,000 to 100,000 American Citizens resident in Greece. Greece has the seventh-largest population of U.S. Social Security beneficiaries in the world.
The United
States has provided Greece with more than $11.1 billion in economic
and security assistance since 1946. Economic programs were phased
out by 1962, but military financial assistance continued until
the early 1990s.
In 1953,
the first defense cooperation agreement between Greece and the
United States was signed, providing for the establishment and
operation of American military installations on Greek territory.
The United States closed three of its four main bases in the 1990s.
The current mutual defense cooperation agreement (MDCA) provides
for the operation by the United States of a naval support facility
that exploits the strategically located deep-water port and airfield
at Souda Bay in Crete.
Principal U.S. Embassy Officials
Ambassador--Daniel V. Speckhard
Deputy Chief of Mission--Thomas M. Countryman
Management Counselor--Steven Taylor
Regional Security Officer--Timothy Haley
Political Counselor--Robin Quinville
Economic Counselor--W. Clark Price
Public Affairs Counselor--Barry Levin
Consul General--Ann Sides
The U.S. Embassy in Greece is located at 91 Vasilissis Sophias Blvd., 10160 Athens; tel: [30] (210) 721-2951 or 721-8401, after hours 729-4444; fax: [30] (210) 645-6282. The U.S. Consulate General for Thessaloniki is located at 43 Tsimiski Street, 546-23 Thessaloniki; tel: [30] (2310) 242-905 or 721-2951, ext. 2400; fax: [30] (2310) 242-927, 242-924. The email address for the U.S. Embassy is AthensAmEmb@state.gov. The Embassy's website is athens.usembassy.gov. The Consulate General's website is thessaloniki.usconsulate.gov. The embassy's youth website is www.mosaiko.gr
