Greece's Foreign Minister on Trump, Germany and the Future of Europe

Greece's Foreign Minister on Trump, Germany and the Future of Europe

“In the EU, we have a deficit of leadership.”

JH: There is a long history between Greece and Germany, down to the color of the flag; the Greek flag is even the same colors as Bavaria.

NK: Germany was trying to establish itself in the nineteenth century. First, they took elements of the French Revolution and the Enlightenment. They based their views on Kant and the Enlightenment, and then went back to the ancient Greek heritage. They formed a cultural and linguistic identity and then they created a state. The positive aspect is that Germany rediscovered ancient Greek culture and ideas. Germans found in ancient Greek culture a way to identify themselves. So, modern Germany finds itself in an interesting contradiction. They love ancient Greece and understand the impact it had on the German state, but they are having trouble dealing with modern Greece. In a strange way, they like Greece . . . but without the Greeks. They like to visit, but they don’t like to deal with us.

JH: What about Syria? What do you envision there as a way to stop the war and deal with Russia in Ukraine? The Trump administration may have an idea of how to work with Russia to stop the wars.

NK: I think that the new administration is going to organize a new coalition of states dealing with the Syrian crisis and it may be able to find a way to win. I did not like the behavior of some European nations that behaved towards Trump in the way they might have behaved towards third-world countries. They need to understand why he won and what lies behind this huge support to him. You have to respect democracy. It is not about liking the results; it is about respecting the results.

JH: How do you see the future between Trump and Europe?

NK: He is rethinking our relations. It is useful to give our views and to discuss how things should go. Which are the ways that through which we can deliver together security and stability in our region? This is the most important question.

JH: So how do we solve Syria?

NK: I describe Syria as a place where everybody is bombing somebody. Some started fighting there to protect human rights. We need to find the human will to protect those that are still alive. We can’t help those that have died. We need to bring peace between the big powers.

JH: Thank you for the interview.

Jacob Heilbrunn is editor of the National Interest.

Image: Nikos Kotzias in Russia. Flickr/Creative Commons/Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs