US, EU closely follow Greek election fight
The United States and the European Union will be watching the elections in Greece closely, for slightly different reasons.
The US is primarily concerned whether Greece will stay aligned with its geopolitical priorities, chief of which, at the moment, is the war in Ukraine. The Mitsotakis government’s steadfast support of Ukraine and the US military presence in the area are considered a big plus in Washington.
However, there is really no reason for concern that these priorities will be upended under another government. SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras openly courted the US during his own premiership, from 2015 to 2019, and has maintained good relations. He is also credited with ending the conflict with Northern Macedonia with the Prespes Agreement, signed in 2018, and began the negotiations, concluded by New Democracy, for a multiyear extension of the bilateral defense cooperation agreement; the US believes the clashes between the two parties over the latter were rather targeted to their respective domestic audiences than signs of a fundamental disagreement.
Both Washington and the EU were greatly relieved that the tension between nominal allies Greece and Turkey has considerably subsided following the deadly earthquakes that hit Turkey in February and Greece’s assistance. They see that front as, at least temporarily, under control.
The EU however, and especially France and Germany, are wary about the stability of a possible coalition government, driven, in part, by their own coalition woes.
