Russia Uses Cyprus, North Macedonia Disputes to Challenge Greece

Moscow accused Greece of violating the Helsinki accords. Credit: Pavel Kazachkov, CC2/Wikipedia

Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova launched an onslaught connected Greece and Europe, responding to accusations that Moscow is undermining European security.

Responding to Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen—who claimed Russia had breached each 10 principles of the Helsinki Accords—Zakharova dismissed the assertion arsenic a “blatant lie.” She countered that Western nations are the existent violators of the landmark 1975 statement that governs relations betwixt sovereign states.

Zakharova past listed 10 alleged Western violations. Her examples included NATO’s 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia without UN approval, the beingness of CIA achromatic sites successful Lithuania, Poland, and Romania, and alleged Western backing for the 2014 Maidan protests successful Ukraine.

Targeting Greek policy

Among her cited examples, Zakharova straight targeted Greece, citing the “role of Greece’s subject junta successful the Cyprus situation of 1974,” which she described arsenic an “attempt to annex the island.”

She besides highlighted the long-standing naming quality betwixt Athens and Skopje, noting that Greece “blocked planetary initiatives” intended to foster practice with the Republic of North Macedonia until 2018. “Until 2018, Greece blocked planetary initiatives that were intended to foster practice with the Republic of Macedonia (due to an unresolved quality implicit its name),” she stated.

The Helsinki Accords, signed connected August 1, 1975, successful Helsinki, Finland, marked the decision of the archetypal Conference connected Security and Co-operation successful Europe (CSCE, present the OSCE). Designed to easiness Cold War tensions, 35 nations signed the accords- each European state but Albania, arsenic good arsenic the US and Canada.

They recognized the post-World War II frontiers successful Europe and committed signatories to respect quality rights, cardinal freedoms, and practice successful economic, scientific, and humanitarian fields.

Greece responds to Russia

The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not officially respond to Zakharova’s accusations, but diplomatic sources successful Athens stressed that the Turkish penetration of Cyprus successful 1974 remains an unfastened coiled for Hellenism and constitutes a blatant usurpation of planetary law, with consequences that proceed to load the planetary community.

At the aforesaid time, Athens reminds that the July 15, 1974 coup has been unequivocally condemned by each democratically elected governments of Greece, portion highlighting the long-standing planetary designation of the Cyprus contented arsenic 1 of penetration and occupation.

In airy of these facts, Greece’s effect to the Kremlin underscores the value of resolving disputes peacefully — arsenic demonstrated successful the lawsuit of North Macedonia — and highlights the humanities value of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, which established the principles of peaceful coexistence and practice betwixt states.

Related: What Has Russia Ever Done For Greece?