To close the American base of Souda immediately and to stop all participation of Greece in wars and imperialist policies, asked G.G. of the KKE, Dimitris Koutsoubas, during his speech in Chania, at a meeting of organizations organized by the Chania sectoral committee of the KKE this afternoon.
“From here, from Chania, from Crete, we are also sending a message to all the peoples who are suffering, being tested hard, experiencing the horrors of war. To all the peoples whose governments are dragging them to slaughter, to the peoples who are worried about what kind of world their children are growing up in. In a world that is on fire, the people will ultimately be the winners, as the title of today’s meeting rightly says,” said the general secretary of the KKE, who spoke to those present on the topic: “In a world that is on fire, the winners will be the peoples. Disengagement of Greece from the war. To close the base of Souda”.
Among others, Manolis Papadomanolakis, president of the Chania Peace Committee, Giorgos Agorastakis, president of the Friends of Mikis Theodorakis Association and former vice-mayor of Chania, Lefteris Kalamaras, member of the Board of Directors of the Electrical Engineering Student Association of the Technical University of Crete, Nikoleta Kardaris participated in the meeting of the organizations. , 3rd high school student in Music School of Chania, Evina Kappou, president of the Catering-Tourism Workers Union and Yiannis Duniadakis, retired Navy Rear Admiral.
As said by Mr. Koutsoubas in his speech, the Greek people have enormous mental reserves, they have proven it many times in their heroic history and will prove it again when needed. This moment is coming, he estimated, and “from here in Chania and Crete, which for decades has signaled the struggle against Greece’s participation in the dirty plans of the imperialists, we call on the entire working class, the popular strata and the youth, to join the fight en masse to stop the involvement of our country in the imperialist wars in any way. To close the Souda base, as well as every military base and infrastructure that drags our people deeper and deeper into the carnage of war. The winners can be the people who will aim to get rid of the rotten exploitative system, which now only has to ‘offer’ poverty, insecurity, crises and wars, and will build their own society, where they will live peacefully, with prosperity, developing between them only relations of friendship and mutual cooperation”.
The c.g. of the Central Committee of the KKE, spoke about the government’s political responsibilities, pointing out that “the responsibilities of the ND and Mitsotakis government are great, not only because it has taken off the country’s direct and indirect involvement in the massacre, but also because it cultivates in the people the complacency, presenting the war fronts as something ‘external’, which supposedly does not concern us directly”. He wondered how it is that the war in Ukraine is not our immediate concern, when “the government is sending war material, even the dangerous weapons of white phosphorus?” When he takes over the training of Ukrainian soldiers? Or when the ports, our lands like Alexandroupoli, the whole of Northern Greece for years now, have become ‘batte scyloi aleste’ with the passage of military forces, the transport of ammunition destined for the borders with Russia, Ukraine?”.
Regarding the Souda base, Dimitris Koutsoumbas described it as an emblematic US military base, which “year by year, is upgraded in the operational plans of the Americans and NATO, in the wider area of the Eastern Mediterranean, thus involving our country and the people deeper into imperialist designs and wars. However, it is not an ‘impregnable’ military base of the NATO forces, as it is a target of the opponents of NATO, other imperialist centers. There are not a few times that reports and plans come to light with Souda being within the range of powerful weapons systems of Iran and Russia, which escalates their conflict with NATO. Not without reason, Souda can be called the Pearl Harbor of the Mediterranean.”
He referred to the military participations of the base, its operation as a resupply and repair station for naval forces, which soon “evolved into a gigantic NATO base, which plays a strategic role for its interventions, operations throughout the region. It quickly developed into an operational center of NATO operations.” But there is also the other side of the operation of the base, “the most vulgar, if you consider that at the same time it is a kind of ‘recreation center’ for the American fleet that docks at its facilities. There are not a few times when American sailors vent their anger in the city of Chania, provoking the people of the city and the entire island. Similar incidents are now experienced by the residents of Alexandroupoli.” For these reasons, among others, the Souda base for the KKE is one of the most important US and NATO military bases in the Mediterranean and because rivalries are intensifying and the pivotal role of the base raises the risks for the people, he asked Mr. Koutsoubas that no one remains apathetic and that popular struggles are strengthened so that the base is closed.
“All US-NATO infrastructures in our country, including the Souda base, are a target for retaliation. And to put it bluntly: the ND government has made not only Chania, Crete, but also the whole of Greece the target of retaliation. Which, with the agreement and support of the other parties, has turned our country into a base of war for the American-NATO forces”, said the governor. of the Central Committee of the KKE, emphasizing at the same time that “the government of Mitsotakis is assuming historical responsibilities. It has no legitimacy to drag the people and the country into this disgusting war to serve its commitments to its friends, NATO and the US.”
Giving an answer, Mr. Koutsoubas in the often heard phrase, that our country is “on the right side of History” and after talking about Ukraine, Russia, Palestine, economic crisis, competition and monopolies, popular households and citizens’ problems, he said “for let’s end this fairy tale.”
“A people stands on the right side of history when, without a second thought, it takes its position in the struggle against participation, involvement, when it shouts and demands ‘Greece out of the slaughterhouses of wars’.” This option also offers valuable help to the peoples who are being tested, such as the people of Ukraine, rather than enlisting in one or the other imperialist camp that has made them a ‘punching bag’. On the right side of History are the children of the people, the officers of the Armed Forces, our soldiers, who express their opposition to imperialist wars, to the genocide of peoples, to the participation of our country on the side of a murderous state. The Greek officers, our youth soldiers have sworn to defend the country’s borders and its territorial integrity and not to serve NATO, the EU and Israel and participate in crimes against peoples. We are on their side, as every mother and father is on their side, and we demand that all persecution against them be stopped now. The right side of history is the struggle in every country against the imperialist war. It is the fight to close all NATO and US bases in our country now. And here in Crete, on the right side of History, is anyone who is constantly fighting to close the Souda base in Crete, so that their place, this beautiful place, ceases to be a war base at the expense of other peoples”.
Especially for Palestine, the general secretary of the Central Committee of the KKE wondered “how and why does the genocide of an entire people, the Palestinian people, by the terrorist state of Israel, which with the backs of the USA and the EU, not concern us? has he bombarded the entire Middle East, bombing Lebanon, Iran, Syria? Here even the International Criminal Court yesterday issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu as a war criminal. If Mitsotakis declares himself a defense witness, he will not make any impression on us. The others will follow. “Besides, the strategic cooperation with Israel – in such terms they speak – was served, upgraded, one by one, by all the governments of the ND today, of SYRIZA before”.
Speaking about the people’s struggles, he said that they will become even stronger, explaining that “as the KKE we enter in front of every place of work, in every city and village, in schools and colleges, to strengthen the fight against war and impoverishment of our people. And fighting against all this means: No trust in the ND government that drags us down the cliff of the brutality of this system. It means that we are intensifying the struggle to stop the participation of Greece in the war in any way. So that all infantry and military personnel return immediately to our country. We are not waiting for the day when the war siren will be heard, now in these conditions, from today we are fighting for the people to take to the streets. There on the streets of the struggle we want to meet with each and every one of you, regardless of whether we agree on everything. But there we can discuss how we will succeed ‘in a world that is on fire, let us be the winners’.
Read also
Alarm in the West after the strike in Ukraine with the new Russian Oreshnik missile – NATO meets in emergency
Karamanlis broke the “silence” of a week – “Disciplinary measures make it difficult to support the national line”
Nikos Romanos: He was remanded in custody for a fingerprint on a mobile object – Episodes outside the court
Beware, if you travel with an airline and a discount, Pitsilis may accuse you of money laundering
Battle for artist degrees at the Council of Ministers – Professor Panos Lazaratos explains the importance of the first decision in Documentonews
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;
n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,
‘
fbq(‘init’, ‘726515947549353’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
#Koutsoubas #American #base #Souda #closed #immediately #Greece #cease #participation #wars #imperialist #policies
How does Koutsoubas’ critique of the Souda base reflect broader tensions between national sovereignty and international alliances?
## Thematic Sections and Open-Ended Questions from the Koutsoubas Interview
This interview touches on complex and relevant global issues. To encourage discussion and critical thinking, here’s a breakdown with open-ended questions:
**1. The Souda Base and Greece’s Role in International Conflicts**
* Koutsoubas strongly criticizes the Souda base, calling it a target and a symbol of US-NATO influence in the Mediterranean.
* **Discussion Question:** What are the potential benefits and drawbacks of having a US military base like Souda in Greece? How should Greece balance its alliances with its national interests?
* The piece highlights concerns about escalating tensions and the risk of the base becoming a target in potential conflicts.
* **Discussion Question:** How does the presence of a military base like Souda impact the local community and the wider Greek population? Are the perceived security benefits worth the potential risks?
**2. Greece’s Involvement in the Ukraine War**
* Koutsoubas accuses the Greek government of actively participating in the war in Ukraine by supplying weapons and training Ukrainian soldiers.
* **Discussion Question:** What is Greece’s moral and political obligation in the context of the Ukraine war? Should Greece remain neutral, actively support Ukraine, or find another approach?
* The article criticizes the government for not being transparent about its involvement and for downplaying the consequences of war for Greece.
* **Discussion Question:** How should democracies balance the need for national security with the principle of transparency and public debate on sensitive issues like war involvement?
**3. Criticism of NATO and US Foreign Policy**
* Koutsoubas’ comments heavily criticize NATO and US foreign policy, particularly their roles in the Middle East and the exploitation of resources.
* **Discussion Question:** To what extent is the US and NATO responsible for instability and conflict in regions like the Middle East? Does Greece have a responsibility to question or challenge these policies?
* The article argues that Greece should distance itself from these alliances and focus on pursuing its own independent foreign policy.
* **Discussion Question:** Is it realistic for a small country like Greece to maintain true independence in a globalized world dominated by superpowers? What are the potential costs and benefits of such a policy?
**4. The Role of the KKE and Social Movements**
* Koutsoubas calls for stronger social movements and protests against war and economic inequality.
* **Discussion Question:** What role can social movements and civil disobedience play in influencing government policies on issues like war and peace?
By dividing the interview into these thematic sections and using open-ended questions, we encourage deeper exploration of the complex issues raised by Koutsoubas’ statements.
