Guess which foreign ambassador was the first to be invited to the palace to meet the new Greek Prime minister? The American? - nah! The British? - "you're 'avin' a laugh!" The EU's representative - not bloody likely! No, the very first foreign ambassador that Prime Minister Tsipras wished to see and chat with on his first day in office was the Russian ambassador. My goodness, what on earth did they have to talk about so urgently? Well, according to a report at Zero Hedge, young Mr. Tsipras is prepared to follow the inverse of some old advice - "go East, young man, go East!" Not the least of Vlad's attractions, er, apart from his bulging pecs, of course, is that in the East there will be a warm welcome which will be in direct contrast to the freezing winds from the West. Already - see, he doesn't hang about, this young Greek lad - the Greek government has expressed its opposition to any more sanctions aimed at Russia by the EU. Such lèse-majesté! But this Greek impudence gets worse:
In recent months, Kotzias [the new Greek foreign minister] wrote on Twitter that sanctions against Russia weren’t in Greece’s interests. He said in a blog that a new foreign policy for Greece should be focused on stopping the ongoing transformation of the EU “into an idiosyncratic empire, under the rule of Germany.” [Original emphases]
My man in Berlin reports that 'the Kaiserin was not amused'! Her imperial features did not change but her lips tightened. 'Take to the shelter' time, I feel!
David, I see what you mean. A young radical leftist on the throne of Olympus and first thing he does is genuflect to the East...well according to my Oxford New Concise World Atlas, north east anyway. A boat ride through the straights and up the Black Sea and poof! Feels like home. Poor Greece is so broke it can't pay attention and Russia's debt is downgraded to junk status. Misery loves company.
Greece has little going for it today outside of tourism and fine climate. During the Cold War, it was geographically useful for listening and clandestine purposes. Today not so much.
Posted by: Whitewall | Wednesday, 28 January 2015 at 15:17
And he's even going to screw with their tourism. The big holiday companies like to offer all-in, eat as much as you like buffet meals in the big holiday resorts, exactly what I enjoyed last year in Rhodes. But according to the new regime, this keeps tourists away from the local villages and the small shops and cafes - not that I noticed it! Anyway, changes are planned so, hey, there goes their tourist trade!
Posted by: David Duff | Wednesday, 28 January 2015 at 15:41
Vlad's been hereabouts before, during the Cyprus crisis. He couldn't afford little Cyprus then, now he's even more skint I doubt he's got much chance of doing much for Greece. As a proxy for China, maybe.
But it goes to show we have to be awfully nice to the camel-shaggers, while at the same time Uncle Sam must get ready to subsidize the US fracking industry when their hedges against a falling oil price expire.
As Zero Hedge observed, if the US fracking industry turns up its toes, the camel-shaggers will turn off the taps and let the price of oil go to $150 a barrel; then Putin and the gloating Greeks will be all over us like a rash.
SoD
Posted by: Lawrence Duff | Wednesday, 28 January 2015 at 20:12
There could be something else the Greeks have in mind:
http://theaviationist.com/2015/01/26/greek-f-16-incident-albacete/
Posted by: JK | Wednesday, 28 January 2015 at 20:17
Seems to me an entirely Orthodox approach to foreign policy.
Yeah, sorry, I'll get my coat.
Posted by: Cuffleyburgers | Thursday, 29 January 2015 at 09:24
'Very witty, Wilde'!
Posted by: David Duff | Thursday, 29 January 2015 at 09:54
And those Orthodoxies tend to stick together.
Posted by: Whitewall | Thursday, 29 January 2015 at 13:12
I do not remember if the Greek's voted to join the euro but they seemed to have embraced it more so as they according to the poll's still want to remain in the euro inspite of screwing up their own economy and taking massive loans which they do no wish to pay back. The new commie leader seems to think he can humiliate the Germans and the rest of the euro zone countries who bailed them out. And to further humiliate the eurozone he turns to the Russians. So the question is will mainly the Germans rightly tell him to fuck off and keep the debt in obeyance until they are prepared to pay their way.
Posted by: jimmy glesga | Friday, 30 January 2015 at 00:53
This the same PM who promised before the election to repudiate debt and end austerity?
The guy who today swore Greece would pay every penny?
And honor all agreements?
And called in Jewish American bankers to help them work a new deal with the German bankers?
So what's the point of the annoying kissyface with Putin?
Does he expect a bailout from the Russians, of all people?
Posted by: Philo Vaihinger | Sunday, 01 February 2015 at 02:59
Never mind.
Posted by: Philo Vaihinger | Sunday, 01 February 2015 at 04:14