The resignation of US Ambassador to Athens Kimberly Guilfoyle has sparked a political controversy in Greece. Opposition parties have demanded explanations from the government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for allegations that the diplomat interfered in the country's domestic politics and promoted certain business interests.
Guilfoyle resigned on October 13 at the request of the White House. The decision was made after publications in the American press about alleged violations of ethical norms and ties to business interests. “Wall Street Journal“ also reported on alleged statements by her regarding the possibility of the United States interfering in the political life of Greece.
Guilfoyle rejected the accusations as false and stated that she would defend her reputation.
Government: Relations with the United States will not suffer
Greek Deputy Prime Minister Costis Hadzidakis described Guilfoyle's removal as a matter that concerns the United States. In an interview with public broadcaster ERT, he said the decision would not affect Greek-American relations.
“Cooperation between the two countries is at a very high level and the progress made in recent years will continue,“ said Hadzidakis.Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis also said before his resignation that Greece continues to maintain cooperation at the highest possible level with its strategic ally the United States.
In Athens, relations with Washington are presented as broader than the mandate of an ambassador. Among the areas mentioned are politics, defense, energy and diplomatic cooperation.
PASOK requests information on agreements with Washington
Among the first opposition parties to request explanations was PASOK. The party's foreign policy chief, Dimitris Mantsos, said that the removal of Guilfoyle following the journalistic publications raises serious questions that remain unanswered.
Mantsos demanded clarification on whether the Greek Foreign Ministry had sought explanations from Guilfoyle regarding the allegations of interference in the country's domestic political life. He also insisted on detailed information on the content, objectives and benefits of the energy, defense and other agreements discussed within the framework of the sixth strategic dialogue between Greece and the United States.
The dialogue took place last week in the presence of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Criticism from SYRIZA and other opposition parties
SYRIZA accused the government of failing to react to the publications about Guilfoyle's alleged actions. According to the party, Donald Trump himself had to demand the removal of the ambassador, while the Greek authorities did not take the initiative and did not ask for public explanations.
The Communist Party of Greece said that the case puts the ruling “New Democracy“ in an awkward position because of the support that its representatives expressed for Guilfoyle before and after she took office.
The “Nikki“ party defined the sudden termination of her mandate as a blow to Greek foreign policy at a critical moment. The representative of the “Greek Left Alliance“ Foreign Policy Secretary Harris Dimitras stated that the government has not provided convincing answers to Guilfoyle's alleged statements and the possible reaction of the Greek side.
Sources: bta.bg, ekathimerini.com, apnews.com