Greek PM raises concerns about Red Sea crisis impact on trade

"What is happening now in the Red Sea is particularly concerning, not just for the Greek shipping industry, but also for international trade in general, at a time when we’re trying to bring inflation down. Any disruption in supply lines, of course, can only make this global effort by central banks much more complicated", said Mitsotakis at the World Economic Forum in Davos, January 18.

"We have, as Greece, I think, taken a very measured position when it comes to the Middle Eastern crisis. We obviously initially very clearly supported Israel’s right to self defense, insist on the release of hostages, but at the same time also made a very, very clear distinction between Hamas as a terrorist organisation and the Palestinian people,” said the Greek PM.

He continued: “As much as we defend Israel’s rights to defend itself, we are increasingly concerned with the plight of innocent people in the Gaza Strip. And that is why, as a country which is relatively close to the conflict area, we do our best to make sure humanitarian aid gets to Gaza as effectively as possible, which, as you know, is still a very, very difficult challenge."

Responding to a question on Russian sanctions and the role of Greek shipowners in transporting Russian fuel, the PM maintained they have been operating within the legal boundaries.

He said the government has been very careful to communicate to shipowners that “they need to adhere to the international sanctions regime, and they have done so within, of course, what has been agreed, what they can do and what they cannot do”.

“In terms of sanctions I think you are right that the Russian economy has proven to be more resilient than we thought. But this does not mean Russia is not paying a very heavy price when it comes to its economy,” he answered.

Add Seatrade Maritime News to your Google News feed.