Μake us preferred on Google Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis is due to brief Parliament’s National Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, as Greece concludes its presidency of the United Nations Security Council. Among the issues expected to dominate the discussion is Turkey’s official nomination of Feridun Sinirlioğlu for the post of UN secretary-general.
The candidacy has added a diplomatic complication for Athens, given Sinirlioğlu’s previous role as Turkey’s permanent representative to the UN and his involvement in promoting Ankara’s positions on the eastern Aegean, the Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus.
Lawmakers are also expected to raise questions about the Turkey-Libya maritime memorandum and the resumption of surveys for the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI), an undersea electricity cable project. They will seek clarification on Ankara’s position regarding whether Turkey should have been notified about the renewed research activities.
Opposition seeks answers on Sinirlioğlu candidacy
Opposition lawmakers are expected to ask Gerapetritis whether Greece undertook diplomatic efforts behind the scenes while Sinirlioğlu’s nomination was being considered and what steps Athens intends to take now to oppose it.
Greece supported Sinirlioğlu in 2024 when he was a candidate for secretary-general of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). However, the current bid concerns a different and more prominent international position.
During his tenure as Turkey’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Sinirlioğlu signed letters advancing Ankara’s positions on the eastern Aegean, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Cyprus issue.
The Cypriot government has already voiced strong opposition to his candidacy. Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis described it as a “political oxymoron and a profound institutional contradiction.”
He argued that it was contradictory for a country that continues to occupy 37% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and does not implement relevant UN Security Council resolutions to seek the leadership of the organization.
Sinirlioğlu’s election is not guaranteed. His nomination must first be recommended by the Security Council, with no negative vote from any of its five permanent members, before being submitted to the UN General Assembly for approval.
Greek-American organizations also oppose the bid
Endy Zemenides, executive director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), has also come out firmly against Sinirlioğlu’s candidacy.
Zemenides shared on social media comments by Michael Rubin, a historian, geopolitical analyst and former Pentagon adviser, who argued that no Turkish national should lead the United Nations or any other international organization while the occupation of Cyprus continues.
Mitsotakis warns ministers against early campaigning
It was also reported that, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis recently told ministers during a Cabinet meeting that this was not the time to focus on campaigning for votes.
The warning comes as some ministers are already making efforts to strengthen their local political profiles ahead of the next elections.
Justice Minister Georgios Floridis, who is expected to run in Thessaloniki, has reportedly been spending most weekends in the northern Greek city. Over the past holiday weekend, he met with Thessaloniki Metropolitan Bishop Filotheos at the metropolitan offices.
According to the column, Floridis briefed the bishop on changes in the justice system. They also discussed requests concerning facilities for children involved in legal proceedings and agreed to cooperate on issues affecting Thessaloniki.
The column notes that some traditional New Democracy supporters have complained that ministers, including former members of the center-left PASOK party, enjoy an electoral advantage over ordinary party members.
Reported political scenario involving Kammenos and Karystianou
The column also discusses speculation about a possible political partnership between former Independent Greeks (ANEL) leader Panos Kammenos and Maria Karystianou.
Kammenos has reportedly said that he would return to politics if former prime minister Antonis Samaras established a new party. He has not identified which party he might join, as ANEL, the party he previously led, no longer exists.
According to the column, Kammenos is also considering the possibility of cooperating with Karystianou, with whom he maintains personal contact.
