Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis on Monday used his address vis-a-vis a tabled question in Parliament to declare that “…hostility and intolerance on other levels can be negative, but in foreign policy it’s definitely destructive for the country”, considered an indirect but curt response to the previous day’s latest vitriolic statements by former prime minister Antonis Samaras.
The minister did not name the ex-premier in his address.
The latter, who was prime minister from 2012 to January 2015 before losing to leftist SYRIZA party in a landslide defeat, has previously and continuously aired sharp criticism against incumbent Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who succeeded him at the helm of center-right New Democracy (ND) party and has won two general elections in a row (2019 and 2023). The 74-year-old Samaras was expelled from ND’s Parliament group in November 2024 after he sharply criticized the government’s policy on weapons procurements and foreign policy, directing most of his criticism against Gerapetritis.
“When I asked for Gerapetritis to be dismissed, I did so with my homeland as my sole criterion,” Samaras said on Sunday, during a taped television interview. Previously, he had referred to a “culture of appeasement” on national issues, which “will achieve the exact opposite of what you are seeking.”
Former PM Antonis Samaras.
Gerapetritis was in Parliament on Monday to answer an opposition question regarding the convening of a five-state summit for the eastern Mediterranean, an initiative being promoted by Athens.
Beyond the political “specter” of the former prime minister, who remains a Parliament deputy, Gerapetritis also referred to the tabled question at hand:
“Greece has the power to become a leading force… as it has a strong international presence and “engages in dialogue with other countries.”
Specifically touching on neighboring Turkey, he said, “despite the problems, we have established a functional relationship in order to avoid tensions.” At the same time, he noted that this initiative is in its very early stages, and he did not rule out participation of both the European Union and other organizations.
