Greece has a strategically important role in the region, at a difficult time in the midst of two wars, the UK Ambassador to Greece Matthew Lodge said in an interview with the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) and reporter Sofia Papadopoulou on Monday, on the sidelines of the 8th Greek-British Symposium held in Thessaloniki.
“Greece has already, from the outset, been playing a positive role. And I think it is, of course, without question, of strategic importance,” he said, concerning Greece’s geopolitical role in such a difficult region.
Regarding Ukraine, in particular, he noted that there had been an “instantaneous” response by the government in Greece “to stand full square in support of Ukraine, in support of that country’s sovereignty, and in support of the Western and NATO efforts to help the Ukrainians in their defence – whilst, of course…being careful to do so in a way that avoids escalation.”
On bilateral relations between Greece and the United Kingdom, Lodge highlighted the “long and historic relationship” between the two countries.
“Just a couple of days ago I was in the Herodion at a concert to mark 200 years since the death of Lord Byron. It wasn’t just about Byron, it was about Philhellenes more broadly, but I think Byron occupies a unique position there. And even if we look at Greece in the modern era only, and of course there are relationships that go back before that, the UK and Greece, through figures like Byron, but subsequently through a turbulent period of 20th century relations and the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the First and Second World Wars, the UK and Greece have found themselves as friends, partners, allies, through all the major conflicts and periods of turbulence.
“Now, notwithstanding the difficulties that we’ve got in Ukraine at the moment and in the Middle East, that relationship of alliance and friendship continues,” he said.
The ambassador also noted that Britain’s decision to leave the European Union “clearly has changed the structure and the nature, the institutional nature of our partnership and our relationship. But it has not altered certainly the people-to-people links, it has not altered the key strategic interests that we have in common and the values that we share.”
“So I’m optimistic about the bilateral relationship and there’s an awful lot of depth and breadth to it,” he added.
Thessaloniki, the case of Alexandroupoli and areas of investment interest
Concerning Thessaloniki and northern Greece, in general, Ambassador Lodge particularly noted the crucial importance of the region in Greece’s efforts to become a regional energy hub.
“The UK has had an established formal relationship in Greece since 1833. We’ve had a presence here in Thessaloniki in the north since 1912. We don’t any longer have a formal vice consulate. It’s been 10-15 years since that closed. But we are still represented by the British Council, who are very active here in the city. And we, as the embassy in Athens, have been making a concerted effort over recent years to recognise the potential and the increased focus of Thessaloniki in all of northern Greece and to engage accordingly. Most recently, just as an example, we were back at the Thessaloniki International Fair [for the] first time in many years.
“We all have an interest in how Thessaloniki is developing the port, the infrastructure here, what’s happening in Alexandroupoli, the role that particularly northern Greece is playing in Greece’s efforts to become a regional energy hub, particularly since the invasion of Ukraine. So, yeah, there’s an awful lot going on,” he said.
Asked about possible UK investments in Alexandroupoli, he replied:
“There are British investors who are present in northern Greece. Less so, I think, in Alexandroupoli, in the pipeline or the vertical corridor. Not that there isn’t interest, but I think others got there first and the Americans and others are engaged.
“We’ve got British companies. Lightsource BP is an obvious one. We’ve got big projects across Greece, up in Kozani and elsewhere.
“And, of course, we’ve had through BP the TAP, for many years. So that’s one of the reasons why we have the symposium and one of our jobs as the embassy is to make sure that we are communicating back to the UK, not just to government, but to the business community, about the opportunities that are here and making those connections so that British businesses, British investors are aware of what’s going on and they can play their part. What I would say is not just about big companies and institutional investors.
“Even if you’ve got American companies or others engaged, it is striking how often you find British and Greek participation at an individual level or whatever. So I’d love to see more British investment in the region, just as I’m keen to see more Greek investment in the UK,” the ambassador said.