Statement of EEDYE on the arrival of US Aircraft Carrier "USS Dwight D. Eisenhower" at Souda Base of Crete

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

The Greek Committee for International Détente and Peace (EEDYE) denounces and condemns in the strongest terms the arrival and docking of the US aircraft carrier "USS Dwight D. Eisenhower" at the Souda Naval Base of Crete, which with the support of the Greek Armed Forces is currently operating in the Eastern Mediterranean.
We express our strong concern about the dangers that emerge for the Greek people. The government of New Democracy, following the footsteps of all previous governments and with the support of the bourgeois parties, takes off the Greek involvement, in the name of the geostrategic upgrade of the Greek bourgeoisie. The renewal of the dangerous Greek-American” Mutual Defense Agreement”, which, among other things, provides for the further upgrade of Euro-Atlantic infrastructures in Souda and throughout the country, the participation of Greece in a series of missions around the globe from the Persian Gulf to Mali, the constant exercises - war drills, but also co-education as links in the long chain of engagement, from which the Greek people have nothing to expect.
On the contrary, the presence of the US fleet in our country and in the Eastern Mediterranean in general, the inclusion of the Greek frigate "Psara" as a full organic member of the impact force of the aircraft carrier during its voyage in the Central and Eastern Mediterranean, the additional participation of two Greek submarines and fighters of the Air Force in a series of exercises to "increase interoperability", as well as the presence of Saudi military forces in Souda, reveal that the focus is not on the country's defense and security, but on the Euro-Atlantic plans against Russia and Iran. .
The government of New Democracy bears criminal responsibilities because it turns the country into a vast base of war, but at the same time a target of attacks. Recently, Souda, Alexandroupolis, Stefanovikeio (near Volos), and even Thessaloniki have been converted into hubs for the Euro-Atlantic military exercises. The “fiestas” organized in Souda for the reception of the US aircraft carrier underline, among other things, the serious responsibilities of the Local Administration, which is keen to welcome the butchers of the people. The myth of the so-called compensatory benefits, through which the government and local administration are trying to wash themselves clean from the country's involvement with the imperialist plans and to camouflage the anti-people policy that puts the popular family to impoverishment, has long gone bankrupt. The story of the money that will flow into the local economy from such visits has been proved false once again, as the approximately 5,000 crew on board are not expected to disembark due to the pandemic.
No false expectations! No complacency! EEDYE welcomes the demonstrations and the multifaceted mobilizations against the docking of the US aircraft carrier, organized by the Chania Peace Committee and the mass movement. Now is the time to resolutely intensify the struggle of the anti-war-anti-imperialist movement, of the popular movement as a whole, demanding the country's disengagement from imperialist plans, the closure of Souda Baseand all Euro-Atlantic bases and infrastructure, the annulment of the Greek-American Accords. The return of the armed forces from missions abroad, the disengagement from NATO and the EU.

NO LAND NOR WATER TO THE KILLERS OF THE PEOPLES!

Athens, March 23, 2021

The press office of EEDYE