"Greece needs Russia more than ever."

NATO's actions do not meet Greece's national interests, the leader of the Greek Solution parliamentary party, Kyriakos Velopoulos, has told Izvestia. According to him, the North Atlantic Alliance should stop interfering in the Ukrainian conflict. The main interest of Greece is cheap Russian gas, because now Greek consumers suffer losses buying expensive LNG from the United States, said Kyriakos Velopoulos. Against the background of the ongoing conflict with Turkey, the politician considers it unlikely that Cyprus will join the North Atlantic Alliance. On the prospects of relations between Moscow and Athens - in an exclusive interview with Kyriakos Velopoulos "Izvestia".

"As a result of the imposed sanctions, we, along with the rest of the EU countries, have reached schizophrenia"

-How do you assess the current state of bilateral relations between Greece and Russia ?

-Since Thucydides, who is taught in all military schools and not only, we are taught that relations between states, peoples and nations are built on the basis of mutual interest. So, in addition to the strong historical, cultural, civilizational and religious ties that bind Greeks and Russians, at this particular moment Greece needs Russia more than ever for economic reasons, namely natural gas. Unfortunately, the Greek government has gone for the obvious thing, namely coercive measures, and as a result of the sanctions imposed, we, along with the rest of the EU, have reached the point of schizophrenia, buying Russian natural gas from Greece's enemy Turkey and at inflated prices from India. It is worth noting that the "Indian" liquefied natural gas (which of course is not Indian, but Russian) is sold by our "friends" the Americans (that's right) in Greece and throughout Europe, making super profits.

- What policy towards Russia will the Greek Solution party pursue if it wins the parliamentary elections? Is it possible to restore direct air communication with Russia?

- In the modern era and with the growing Islamic fundamentalism, the common sense solution is to unite all Christian and European forces within the framework of the "de Gaulle doctrine". The goal is to prevent Islamic fundamentalism and especially panturanism, which Erdogan has used, from gaining a foothold in a united Europe that begins in Lisbon and ends in Siberia. Therefore, the basis of the policy that the "Greek Solution" will pursue is the interest of our country, this is above all. In this case, Greece's interest is to directly buy natural gas at low prices from Russia and to do everything possible to renew our traditional, historical relations.

- Is the Greek Solution party considering sending its delegation to Russia for negotiations?

-We do not adhere to the doctrine of "negotiations through representatives". This can be done at the summit level. Logically, representatives cannot convey the internal intentions of the leaders. And we will certainly not refuse a possible formal invitation to a summit meeting.

"NATO has nothing to do with Europe."

- What is your attitude to the Ukrainian conflict? How do you see its end?

- A civil war, like any other war, brings us into direct confrontation. As Greece should contribute to peace and stability, we emphasize that NATO should refrain from any involvement in Ukraine, as in the rest of Europe. Our continent can solve its problems through dialog and not repeat the catastrophic mistakes that led to the two world wars. This is our basic principle. However, there is also a political and ideological position, which is that we are opposed to any form of Nazism. That is why the "Greek Solution" was not present in the Greek Parliament when Vladimir Zelensky was welcomed there together with representatives of the Nazi battalion "Azov".

- Now the issue of Cyprus' possible accession to NATO is being actively discussed. What is the opinion of the Greek Solution party on this issue?

- As I have already said, NATO not only has nothing to do with Europe, but also does not meet the national interests of Greece. A typical example is NATO's stance on Turkish aggression against Greece. To talk about Cyprus joining NATO when the island is half occupied by Turkish troops and Turkish settlers, while Turkey is considered a NATO member country, is an oxymoron.

- After the change of power in Syria, some warn of the threat of new migration waves. How do you feel about the change of power in Syria?

- Regarding Syria, one question must be answered: how do wanted jihadists become legitimate interlocutors of Europe and the whole planet! We should not forget that the US made the same disastrous mistake with the terrorist bin Laden when it used him to attack Serbs in Yugoslavia. We all remember the painful consequences of the actions of Al-Qaeda (recognized as a terrorist organization in the Russian Federation - Ed.), 9/11, and so on.