Greece was kept in eurozone in return for allowing more US bases: Ex-defense chief

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Despite the large hit to its economy, Greece was kept in the eurozone – the group of EU countries that use the euro currency – during the 2010s financial crisis in return for allowing more US bases on its soil, according to a former Greek defense minister.

In a critical July 2015 meeting of the Eurogroup, then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble proposed around $90 billion in financial aid if Greece were to exit the eurozone, which Yannis Varoufakis, then-Greek finance minister, accepted, Panos Kammenos said in an exclusive interview with Greek broadcaster Antenna late Wednesday.

“But I strongly opposed the proposal and told (then-) Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to ask for American help,” Kammenos said, adding that he also contacted the US secretaries of state and defense to this end. Kammenos was defense minister during most of 2015.

Kammenos proposed to them a package that would include arms deals and allow the US to access more military bases in Greece, including the port of Alexandroupolis and Stefanovikeio base in return for US help, he related.

“Essentially, we also wanted Greece to take Türkiye’s place as a strategic ally of the US in the Mediterranean,” he stressed.

Then-US President Barack Obama and then-French President Francois Hollande mediated, and an agreement on the third Economic Adjustment Program for Greece was reached in July 2015, he said.

“The deal was achieved because Greece turned to the US. This is a truth that needs to be told,” Kammenos added.​​​​​​​