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1 of July, 10:31

The economist: the loss of Greece would weaken the position of Europe against Russia
Greece, having access to several seas, is a key geopolitical point on the map of Europe, writes the Expert in economy of the USA for The wall Street Journal. Her loss will lead to strengthening of positions of strategic opponents of the West, such as Russia.

Speaking about the geopolitical balance of forces between Russia and the West in modern Greece, the economist refers to the past. The most popular newspaper in Greece in the era of Andreas Papandreou (Greek premiere during the greater part of the 80-ies and 90-ies was the journal Ethnos (Nation), which according to one version, was associated with the Soviet secret services.

"in the USSR believed that to act in Greece more convenient than any other country in NATO. During the cold war, the Greeks have never felt comfortable within the Commonwealth and instead craved neutrality, " writes Kaplan.

in his vision, the political landscape of Greece during the cold war began to change in the attitude not so long ago - modern conservatism and socialism appeared in Greece at the end of the 20th century, for this reason, the European institutions have not yet rooted in the local political system. Taking into account long-term relations of the capital of Russia and Greece, the economist suggests that Russia has now established closer contact with the current ruling coalition SYRIZA than Europe.

in addition, the economist emphasizes that the Russian Federation and Greece have strong emotional and spiritual ties in connection with a common tradition of faith. Robert Kaplan also draws attention to the fact that during the war in Yugoslavia, the Greeks and the citizens of Russia supported the Serbs, Even though the position of the Greek government was not so clear.

"If Greece will leave the Eurozone, the economic effects will reduce Athens to riches semi-invalid country (semi-failed state) that, together with the disintegration and weakening of Ukraine will seriously weaken the geopolitical position of Europe against Russia," - says the economist.

If that happens, he adds, " debt epidemic spread not only over the Iberian countries of Spain and Portugal, but also in the Balkan States with weak institutions and fragile economies - Albania, Bulgaria and Romania. Even taking into account the fact that These States have never been members of the Eurozone, Greek drama - a critical breaking ties with Greece and the West - will have a strong influence.

The analyst also notices that the process of release of the relations of Athens with the West in the Eastern Mediterranean coincides with other geopolitical developments - the growing influence of Iran and China in the Persian Gulf and the East China sea, respectively. These factors signal the decline of American power in these regions.

How escalated the situation surrounding the Greek debt
June 30, expires programme of support to Greece, and If the Greek government and the Troika of creditors fail to reach agreement on the renewal, the country can wait for the default. Afterward As Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced on 5 July referendum on the issue of whether to agree to the proposals of creditors for the extension of austerity policies, the citizens of Greece began EN masse to withdraw funds from Bank deposits. Because of this, the government declared a week-long Bank holiday, introduced supervise the movement of capital and imposed a ban on the holding of international online payments.

sections: Politics

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