Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis says the world is in its most turbulent period since World War II, warning that surging inequality is “challenging the essence of democracy and the rule of law.”
“We have turned into an era where populism and demagogues are essentially ruling the state,” the minister told The Associated Press in New York, where Greece is chairing the U.N. Security Council this month.

Gaza war

Calling the Israel-Hamas conflict a humanitarian calamity, Gerapetritis appealed for an immediate cease-fire and “massive” aid flows.
“We would like to be actively involved, but to be totally honest, it’s not a matter of who mediates, it’s a matter of stopping the nightmare,” he said, branding Hamas’s 7 Oct. 2023 massacre “absolutely inhumane.”
At the same time, he added, “I cannot really tolerate what is happening now in the Middle East,” citing Gaza’s death toll of more than 53,000.

Democracy’s self-repair

Despite global turmoil, the minister insisted “democracy has a self-corrective mechanism” and called for “strong leadership in major nations and international organizations to make people believe in the noble cause of being together in peace and prosperity.”

Europe after Ukraine

Inside the EU, the unanimity rule has become an obstacle, yet the veto still protects national interests, he said. The bloc, however, is suffering a “political identity crisis.”
“It seems that on occasions, we forget what are the essential elements that brought us together as Europeans, and we do suffer from some divergences and conflict,” he noted. “And now we’re suffering the post-shock syndrome after the war in Ukraine.”

Greece “stands by Ukraine” on sovereignty and territorial integrity, but the minister conceded Western sanctions on Russia are only “partially” effective.

U.S. tariffs

Greek-American economic ties are deepening through investments from Amazon, Google and Pfizer, he said. While U.S. tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump are “not good news,” Athens is “not over-exposed,” and, he stressed, “we do believe that there must be a modus vivendi.”