Greece also feels threatened by a far bigger, immediate neighbour. It perceives Turkey as a “constant and significant danger to its national security and sovereignty”, Nick Malkoutzis, co-founder of political analysis website MacroPolis, tells me.
In the past, the US mediated disputes between the two countries. Both are members of Nato. But under Donald Trump, Nato insiders say the US is increasingly perceived as missing in action politically and diplomatically, with Washington’s focus very much elsewhere.
In late August, Greece and Israel signed one of the largest defence export deals in both countries’ histories. The “Achilles Shield” agreement provides Athens with Israeli technology aimed at protecting Greece against a range of threats, including drones, aircraft and missiles.
There is a history of public sympathy with the Palestinian cause in Greece and many people have been sceptical about ever closer relations with Israel. But Malkoutsis says the public and political reaction to the “mega-deal” with Israel has been “more muted than might have been expected”.
He says this is because there is a bottom line – a common understanding of the fundamental need for Greece to strengthen its security in relation to Turkey that takes priority over everything else.
With Israel a close ally of Washington, Greece hopes that “buying Israeli” will also help maintain decent relations with the US, even in these turbulent times.
But it’s a delicate dance because Greece and Finland both very much want to be seen as “good Europeans”, feeding into the European collective, according to Malkoutsis.
He says EU countries “scrambling in all directions” complicate everyone getting on the same page and speaking with one voice on defence and security which is the opposite of what Brussels and Nato say they want.
That said, European countries banding together in smaller groups to pursue common interests is nothing new. The E3 “gang”, composed of the UK, Germany and France, was originally formed in 2003 to co-ordinate diplomatic negotiations with Iran in the hope of a nuclear deal. It’s now a more ad hoc communication channel for Europe’s three largest military and economic powers.
Nordic and Arctic nations have their own formats for working together to promote regional defence, while the “Visegrad Four” made up of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia was for many years a well-known pressure group in EU circles.
However, Nato and the EU are convinced that the continent is under intense pressure, unprecedented since the end of the World War Two. Their leaders say it is time to form a united front. An aggressive Russia growls threateningly at the door, bolstered by Beijing, while the United States, Europe’s former best friend abroad, seems, at best, distracted by other priorities.
Splintering, fracturing and rampant “mini-lateralism” will only be applauded by Europe’s adversaries, they believe. China and Russia are watching closely.
Top image credit: PA / Nur Photo via Getty images
