Describing Alexis Tsipras as an unusual visitor to the White House, the British Guardian refers to today’s US President’s meeting with the Greek Prime Minister in Washington and its background. The British newspaper report does not fail to note that the quake is taking place at a time when tensions between the US and Turkey are rising.What is said is what former US Ambassador to Greece Nicolas Burns says: «This is an important meeting for both countries. The two countries’ relations are much better than a few decades ago, when the anti-American sentiment prevailed in Greek politics. »
An unusual visitor to the White House
The Guardian describes Alexis Tsipras as an «unusual visitor to the White House» and explains: The Greek prime minister, once Marxist fighter, was openly against Trab’s candidacy for the US presidency, saying publicly that he hoped not to be elected.
At the same time, Trab is reported very few times in Greece, as opposed to his references to Turkish President Erdogan. However, worsening Turkey-US relations have led Washington to reassess its ties, says Guardian, with Burns pointing out: «Given all the problems with Turkey, Greece is a relatively stable ally in eastern Europe.»
In fact, the Guardian also refers to the irony, as it characterizes it, with the change of attitude of Alexis Tsipras, which he does not forget several diplomas: While Tsipras and his left comrades did everything that passed by their hand to preserve anti-Americanism while it was in opposition, Athens has worked hard to support the Western alliance since the co-government took over. The British newspaper does not even miss the role of the President of ANEL: «Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, head of the ANEL co-owners, is openly in favor of the Americans and the Tramp».
The Guardian, in order to explain this turn, also hosts statements by members of SYRIZA. Like Kosta Duzhina: «Following the vanguarding of Varoufakis, the government learned the importance of soft power, how to win friends and influence silently.» He even argued that Greece is pursuing a multi-level foreign policy that includes building links not only with the US, but with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Russia, China and Iran. «At a time when Turkey is unpredictable or even absurd, Greece shows the importance of commitment to authorities and friends,» says Mr. Douzinas.
At the same time, the former US Ambassador to Greece, N. Burns, does not fail to mention the good relations of Athens with China, recalling that the Far East has made significant investments in the country since the crisis began and on the other hand that Tsipras will now be able to guarantee Washington that he is not obliged to Russia or China in major international affairs.
According to the British newspaper, Athens has won Tremb’s favor because it still has 2.38% of its GDP for defense, the second largest in NATO countries, despite the crisis conditions.
Tsipras during the meeting with Trab is expected to emphasize the geopolitical role and the nautical base of Souda in Crete. Although US officials insist Souda can not replace Incirlik in Turkey, the base in Crete is central to US operations in the Middle East.
From the Greek side, there is also the hope that the White House will play a decisive role in boosting the Greek economy with the completion of the third evaluation. Of course, many depend on the attitude that the IMF will hold, one of the largest shareholders of which is the United States, the Guardian notes.
«A central question for the US is whether pressure must be put on long-term debt relief for Greece by its European and international partners,» Burns said, adding: «It is hard to see Greece recovering without it» .
According to Guardian’s information, Tsipras is expected to ask Trab to push the IMF to show more flexibility. «If they get Tremb to talk publicly about debt relief, it will be a great success,» said Alec Mali, a former high-ranking US diplomat. And he concluded: «Until now, the Tramb administration left the matter entirely in the hands of European lenders and the IMF.»
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