Greece's deployment of military forces to Cyprus is a necessary assertion of regional power, not just an act of solidarity, according to a top foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Sotiris Sermpos vigorously defended the military mission, describing it as a bold shift from passive observation to proactive diplomacy.
Speaking in an interview, Mr. Sermpos said that Greece must secure its strategic stakes in the Eastern Mediterranean as the Middle East conflict rapidly escalates.
He explicitly dismissed passive foreign policy—which he dubbed "chicken diplomacy"—urging Athens to shape regional outcomes rather than watch from the sidelines.
Mr. Sermpos pointed out that Greece now possesses the enhanced hard power and robust alliances required to project influence, a stark contrast to its military posture just a few years ago.
Addressing the broader geopolitical crisis, Mr. Sermpos analyzed U.S. President Donald Trump's recent military strikes on Iran as a calculated strategy to enforce post-war stability.
He billed Tehran's retaliatory attacks in the Persian Gulf as the desperate, regime-saving moves of a leadership playing a "lost game."
To mitigate direct threats to Athens and Nicosia, Mr. Sermpos stressed the need to exhaust all diplomatic channels while maintaining a strong forward defense.
Greece must actively participate in the current crisis, he argued, to ensure it commands a decisive voice in the region's "day after."
By Vassilis Poulos