The Foreign Ministry expresses its concern about the further military escalation and spread of the conflict in the Middle East, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lena Zohiou said at today’s briefing for diplomatic editors.
The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said our country expresses its concern over Iran’s nuclear program, and noted that full oversight of its programs is a prerequisite for stability in the region.
Mitsotakis and Foreign Minister G. Tsipras, who said that both Prime Minister Mitsotakis and Minister of Foreign Affairs G. Tsipras are now in the process of being appointed to the post. Gerapetritis contacted our partners in the region, expressing Greece’s solidarity with the Gulf countries, and stressed the need for diplomacy, respect for international law and freedom of navigation to prevail.
He also noted that our country voted for the UN Security Council resolution expressing solidarity with the Gulf countries, and stressed the importance of free navigation at a time when more than 80% of international trade is carried by sea, and today there is turmoil in the global supply chain. Zohiou also said that the current situation calls for the defence preparation of our country, which, she said, responded to the requests of Cyprus and Bulgaria for defence assistance “to protect our neighbourhood from aggressive actions” and pointed out that European security is inextricably linked to the situation in the Middle East. The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman expressed the full solidarity of our country and other members of the Security Council with Lebanon.
Greece, as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, joined France, Denmark, Latvia and the United Kingdom in calling for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the deteriorating situation in Lebanon, he said, adding:
“This meeting was convened yesterday and we co-signed the joint statement issued by France regarding the situation in the country. We express our full solidarity with Lebanon and underline the need to respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We have also repeatedly stressed that we are opposed to large-scale operations on Lebanese territory. In the joint statement we underlined the importance of supporting the efforts of the Lebanese Government to swiftly implement Security Council Resolution 1701. As you recall, in January 2026, Greece handed over military equipment to Lebanon. We are now looking into the possibility of sending immediate humanitarian assistance.”
Zohiou mentioned by name the heads of the authorities in the affected areas, praising their work. Mr. John Plotas, to Lebanon, Ambassador Mrs. Despina Koukoulopoulou, to Jordan, Ambassador Mrs. Irene Rigas, to Qatar, Ambassador Mr. Christos Kapodistrias, to Saudi Arabia and Oman, Ambassador Mrs. Ekaterini Varvarigou. In Iraq, Mr. George Demetriou, the Consul General in Erbil, Mr. Nikolaos Stergioulas.
Finally, he added:
“I couldn’t resist mentioning the Greek embassy in Iran. The head of the Authority is Mr. Konstantinos Tsenkelidis. I would like to mention here is that in view of the deteriorating situation on the ground and assessing the security conditions, the decision was taken to relocate our embassy from Tehran to Baku, Azerbaijan.”
Retaliation
Ms. Zohiou also referred to the issue of repatriations, stressing that there are now far fewer requests than a few days ago, adding that 12 telephone lines have been activated to better serve Greeks in the region, and noted that repatriations are being carried out by chartered flights and military aircraft. So far, some 2,000 citizens from the UAE, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman have been repatriated, while some Greeks have left Jerusalem for Egypt by road. Zohiou described the repatriations as “a very complex operation” and described it as the “largest ever carried out in multiple war-torn countries”. She said the biggest problem was the closure of airspace of several countries in the region, and referring to the transportation of pets, she said it was up to the policy of each airline whether or not to allow it, adding that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was considering an agreement with an airline to transport them.
The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said that the Ministry is in communication with the Ministry of Shipping, noting that the safety of Greek sailors and ships is a top priority, adding that there are 10 Greek ships in the Gulf with 90 Greek sailors who are safe and there is no request for their repatriation yet. If there is “we will help facilitate them,” he said. He also noted that there are several ships of Greek interests in the Greater Oman area, one of which was hit.
Finally, referring to the programme of Foreign Minister G. Gerapetritis, said that on March 16 he will go to Brussels to participate in the Foreign Affairs Council where he will discuss developments in the Middle East and Ukraine, while on March 17 he will go to Berlin where he will have a meeting with his German counterpart, with bilateral issues and the Middle East on the agenda.
He also referred to the MFA’s digital information platform, noting that it is a modern tool of digital de-duplication and targeted recording of international news, which will assist in countering misinformation and hybrid threats against Greece. He noted that no function of the platform is directed against freedom of expression, and added that statements will be issued immediately by the Foreign Ministry to counter malicious publications.
In response to questions, Ms. Zohiou said that Greece has a leading role in the EU’s Operation Shields, which is geographically limited to the Red Sea for the naval support of merchant ships, and there is no question of changing this mandate.
Regarding the announcement of the Turkish Lt. Defence Ministry’s announcement on the Patriot missiles in Karpathos, he said that it had already been answered by the Foreign Ministry in the previous days, and stressed that during the conversation between Mr.Gerapetritis and Mr.Fidan, neither Karpathos nor Cyprus was raised.
When asked about this, she said that the operation of laying a fibre optic cable has been completed between Amorgos and Astypalaia, while in response to another question she said that the expression “we are co-shaping developments” has been used by the Greek Foreign Minister since our election to the Security Council, where members co-decide on issues of international security architecture.
He concluded by describing it as Greece’s self-evident duty to assist Cyprus defensively when requested and said that “our assistance is of a purely defensive nature”. He described Cyprus as an island of stability and security in the wider region, despite the continued illegal Turkish invasion and occupation of its territory, noting that the illegal invasion does not legitimize the presence of an occupying force.
