Red Sea tension a threat to global trade, says PM
The impact of the growing tension in the Red Sea region and its impact on global trade, along with the escalating crisis in the Middle East, was raised by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday, noting that “now that we are trying to bring down inflation, any disruption in supply lines can only complicate the effort that central banks are making.”
Speaking with Foreign Policy magazine’s editor in chief Ravi Agrawal at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mitsotakis stressed that everyone is quite concerned about escalation, not just for the impact on Greek shipping but for global trade as a whole.
Referring to the war between Israel and Hamas, he said that Greece has taken a measured stance on the Middle East crisis.
Greece, he said, supported Israel and its right to self-defense, but added that “just as we support Israel’s right, we support the right of the innocent in the Gaza Strip.”
“Everyone should be concerned by the fact that 10,000 children have died as a result of this conflict,” he said.
Referring to Turkey, he noted that after the earthquakes tension was reduced between the two countries, stressing the necessity for cooperation with Ankara because the migrant boats leaving Turkish coasts for Greece and Europe must stop.
“But I am not naive. We have seen dramatic changes in Turkish policy in recent years. But I want to be optimistic,” he said.
Earlier, Mitsotakis participated in a discussion on the green transition and referred to Greece’s medium-term goal of becoming an exporter of green energy and playing a leading role in the energy transition of Europe and especially in the Balkan region, making special reference to the creation of offshore wind farms and the strategic geographical advantage Greece has in this sector.
