There is a battle for the economic corridor between India, the Middle East, and Europe, and Greece, from being a protagonist, is in danger of being left out.
US President Donald Trump met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 14 and expressed his presidency’s unwavering commitment to the IMEC (India, Middle East, Europe) economic corridor, which he sees as a counterweight to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (the “new Silk Road”).
This specific geo-economic route, which came to be based on the famous “Abraham Accords” and which presupposed Israel’s historic rapprochement with the Arab world, was frozen after the attack launched by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent Israeli war in Palestine and Lebanon. It is estimated, in fact, that the attack was ultimately decided by Hamas and supported by the Iranian “Axis of Resistance” and, more broadly, in their own way, by all the Eurasian powers, precisely because it would overturn the positive climate of the Abraham Accords and would nullify, or at least postpone, the prospect of implementing this corridor.
IMEC, of course, also concerns Greece: its perspective spectacularly upgraded our country as a hub and gateway of Europe, in a role that even replaces Turkey as a bridge between the West and the East. The claim of IMEC, therefore, (should be) one of the great ultimate goals of Greek deterrence policy precisely because, with its weight and importance, it changes the correlations in the region and facilitates the emergence of a non-Turkish-initiative and cooperative with Israel and the Arab World security subsystem of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Now, this plan seems to be going backward. Because other European countries are proposing to replace Greece as the gateway to Europe. France, which has recently been trying to use its charm to form a strategic relationship with India, has nominated the port of Marseille as an alternative European gateway – to which Emmanuel Macron gave Modi a tour earlier this month.
Italy, with Georgia Meloni, who probably enjoys a ‘special relationship’ with Trump and his protégé Elon Musk, has nominated the port of Trieste to become the alternative gateway to India, this time through Italy. Let’s not forget that Italy very recently withdrew from the competitive initiative for China’s BRI precisely for this reason.
Of course, Greece was chosen from the beginning not only because of the lower cost involved in such an investment but also because of additional geostrategic advantages: the prospect of connecting Alexandroupolis with Eastern Europe, the Baltic States, and Scandinavia through the 3Seas initiative was one of them. Developments were, of course, frozen due to the situation in the Middle East, but not only because of it.
There is an issue with the fact that the port of Piraeus belongs, as is known, to Cosco, i.e., to the Chinese. There was also interest in the port of Thessaloniki, which would be good as its selection would also change the domestic Athens-centric condition. However, as is known, the Port of Thessaloniki is under the control of a consortium of interests led by Ivan Savvidis (i.e., Russia). In fact, recently, this consortium has been increasing its share of shares to prevent the aggressive moves of LeonidsPort of the Franco-Swiss Dreyfus group. Alexandroupoli and Kavala remain – although the most ideal condition, due to the volume of transport, would be to have a system based on one port.
In relation to Greece, of course, there is something broader. India wishes to isolate Turkey from these geoeconomic choices, of course, because of Pakistan, but also because the long arm of Turkish politics has already reached the Muslims living in India and aspires to bring them under its control.
The Greek-Turkish rapprochement under the “Athens Agreement” does not help precisely because it gives double messages in all directions—and obviously, to India. A Greece that does not oppose hegemonic Turkey but ensures its quiet is doomed to be trampled by it and ultimately to be satellited due to the enormous imbalance of sizes. And the would-be allies will obviously not turn to a satellite to support their strategic plans.
Of course, there is also the background and actions that we are not in a position to know. But judging from the broader developments, it is very likely that Trump himself, wanting to keep Turkey happy but also wanting to see IMEC implemented, does not consider Greece irreplaceable.
In any event, however, Greece should sound the alarm. If there is a prospect for Greece to respond prospectively to Ankara’s expansionism, balancing its sharp accumulation of power and hegemony, this is being implemented through the IMEC. Athens must have realized this and is already fighting to gain Greece’s place within it.
Dr. George Rakkas is a political scientist and PhD in sociology.
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