Greece Says Russian Embassy's Statement "Totally Unacceptable"

Politics

Greece Says Russian Embassy’s Statement “Totally Unacceptable”

February 28, 2022

The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Athens. (Photo by Eurokinissi/ Yiannis Panagopoulos)

ATHENS – The way that the Russian embassy addressed Greece was “wholly unacceptable,” foreign ministry spokesperson Alexandros Papaioannou said on Monday, in statements to the Greek public broadcaster ERT.

“We repeated to the Russian side that they have an obligation to respect international law,” Papaioannou said, noting that the ambassador had been summoned to the foreign ministry on Sunday over the killing of 10 members of the Greek Diaspora in Ukraine.

“Respect for the sovereignty and territorial independence of Ukraine is non-negotiable, as it is for every other country, and this is the gospel for Greek foreign policy according to Nikos Dendias,” the spokesperson added.

He also noted that embassies must play a specific role, with communication that preserves a good and positive climate between the two sides, which was not the case with the Russian embassy, whose actions were unacceptable.

Commenting on the Russian embassy’s announcement regarding the decision to light Greek Parliament with the colours of Ukraine’s flag – which called on Greeks to “snap out of it” – Papaioannou said that the language used was incompatible with diplomatic practice.

He also stressed that the Greek foreign ministry had evidence, on the basis of which it had summoned the Russian ambassador: “It was stressed that air raids were carried out with the result that 10 of our expatriates were killed and that Russian is obliged to respect humanitarian law.”

The spokesperson reported that roughly 100 Greeks have declared that they want to return at the Greek consulates in Odessa and Mariupol, while the number of Greeks in Kiev is less than 30. There are also two ships with Greeks on board that are anchored in a port east of Odessa.

“With the military law, no ship can leave the port. Our consul is in contact with the crews and at the first opportunity, we will see what we can do. There are six Greek sailors on one and seven on the other,” he said.

Over 100 Pilot Whales Beached on Western Australian Coast Have Been Rescued, Officials Say

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — More than 100 long-finned pilot whales that beached on the western Australian coast Thursday have returned to sea, while 29 died on the shore, officials said.

Greek Pres. Sakellaropoulou from Chile: Democracy and the Rule of Law are Interrelated

SANTIAGO, Chile - The President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, referred to the special intellectual, artistic and political relations between Greece and Chile, which is due to common experiences, especially their modern history, in the speech she addressed to the historic University of Chile, on the topic "Democracy and human rights: 50 years since the coup in Chile - 50 years since the restoration of Democracy in Greece.

SYRIZA Leader Kasselakis: We Will Be First in the Euroelections

Main opposition SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Stefanos Kasselakis expressed his certainty that his party will be first in the European elections in an interview with ALPHA TV on Thursday evening.

A US-Led Effort to Bring Aid to Gaza by Sea is Moving Forward. But Big Concerns Remain

JERUSALEM (AP) — The construction of a new port in Gaza and an accompanying U.

A Look at Past and Future Cases Harvey Weinstein Has Faced as His New York Conviction is Thrown Out

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Harvey Weinstein's landmark New York sexual assault conviction was thrown out by an appeals court Thursday, and most of the dozens of civil cases filed against him since he became a central target in the #MeToo movement in 2017 have either been settled or dismissed.

Politics