- Greece continues daily repatriation operations for citizens stranded across the Middle East.
- Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis described the effort as the most complex diplomatic operation in decades.
- Over 200 Greeks returned from the UAE in recent days.
- Athens says the Souda Bay naval base in Crete is not under immediate threat.
Souda Bay Not Considered a Target
As tensions across the Middle East continue to ripple through global politics — and airline schedules — Greek officials are trying to deliver a message of calm.
Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said this week that Crete’s Souda Bay naval base is not considered under immediate threat, despite speculation about the range of Iranian missile systems and the strategic importance of the installation.
“I do not believe Souda is threatened,” the minister said during an interview on SKAI TV.
For residents of Crete, where Souda Bay serves as one of the most important naval facilities in the Eastern Mediterranean, the reassurance is likely intended to quiet the inevitable speculation that follows every regional crisis.
A Diplomatic Operation Across Ten Countries
While officials stress that Greece itself remains secure, the government is currently facing a complex logistical challenge: bringing home Greek citizens scattered across the region.
According to Gerapetritis, the repatriation effort has become “the most complex operation undertaken by the Foreign Ministry in decades.”
Ministry staff, he said, are working around the clock to help Greeks leave countries affected by the unfolding crisis.
“It is truly a superhuman effort,” he explained, describing attempts to extract citizens from what he called “war zones that include ten different states.”
Some travelers have found themselves stranded far from home simply because connecting flights through major Gulf hubs suddenly became impossible.
With airspace across parts of the region opening and closing unpredictably, returning home has become a logistical puzzle.
Hundreds Already Returning
Despite the difficulties, repatriation flights are beginning to bring people back. More than 200 Greek citizens returned to Athens on Thursday from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, according to the ministry. Others have managed to leave Jerusalem via Egypt.
Additional operations are expected to continue daily.
“We will have more people returning every day,” Gerapetritis said, referring to ongoing coordination involving the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait.
The biggest obstacle, he added, remains the unpredictable closure of regional airspace.
“Airspace in many of these countries is closed and opens only partially and sporadically.”
Greece’s Military Presence in Cyprus
At the same time, Greece has increased its military presence in Cyprus, a move the minister described as a matter of historical responsibility.
Greek frigates Kimon and Psara, along with F-16 Viper fighter jets, have been deployed as part of what Athens describes as purely defensive measures.
According to Gerapetritis, the deployments are not subject to consultation or negotiation with other countries.
They are, he said, simply part of Greece’s obligation to defend its interests and maintain stability.
Watching the Strait of Hormuz
The situation in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical shipping routes, remains another point of concern.
A closure of the strait, even temporarily, could have serious consequences for global energy markets and international shipping.
European naval forces are already operating in the area through the EU maritime mission “Aspides.”
Gerapetritis warned that any disruption to navigation in the region would create major economic repercussions worldwide.
Europe’s Uncertain Solidarity
The minister also used the moment to raise a broader political point about Europe’s role in the crisis.
European solidarity, he suggested, is no longer something that can be taken for granted.
“European solidarity,” he said, “has moved from being self-evident to becoming something we must actively seek.”
In other words, in a world of widening conflicts and fragile alliances, diplomacy increasingly resembles crisis management.
