ATHENS – “Greece, as a member of NATO, has specific obligations in terms of forces which, from time to time, are reserved under NATO command, as is done for all Alliance countries,” government spokesperson Yiannis Oikonomou said on Tuesday in an interview with ANT1 TV.

He stressed that “that there is no question of Greek aircraft or helicopters going to Poland and being flown by Ukrainian pilots. We are militarily committed to some obligations, in terms of our relationship with NATO. This applies to all countries in the Alliance.” Regarding reports of a discussion that has supposedly taken place in the EU and Greece’s possible involvement, Oikonomou said there was “no such issue” and that “the country will not have any such involvement.”

Concerning the Greek stance towards the Russian invasion, Oikonomou stressed: “The Greek government has from the very beginning taken a clear position against the invasion and the revisionist stance of the Russian President and Russia, which is manifested by this violent attack against Ukraine. There are things that admit no allowances or second thoughts. The planet, Europe, humanity, our life as we know it, is facing a major challenge, to which our answer must be clear, firm, without asterisks or footnotes. Because if these storms, which have now started, are not dealt with decisively as they arise, things will be much worse. There is no room for petty expediency, especially not from a country like Greece, which has suffered from such injustices in the past. The questioning of international treaties, the questioning of borders, of international law, can not be tolerated in any way, either de jure or de facto.”

Regarding the possible economic fallout, he said that both Europe and Greece will likely experience such repercussions: “The Greek economy is designed and structured in such a way as to withstand these shocks. Especially tourism, with the attractive tourist product we provide, with the high quality services we offer, with all the tradition and professionalism, will obviously be able to withstand any pressure or losses,” he added.