Former Greek PM Antonis Samaras chucked out from his party over Turkey 'appeasement' remarks

Former Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has been expelled from the New Democracy party after criticising the government for its approach to relations with Turkey, the Greek government announced Saturday (November 16).

Samaras, a hardline conservative who served as prime minister from 2012 to 2015, had accused the administration of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of being too conciliatory in talks with Turkey, referred to as “calm waters.”

He also called for the dismissal of the foreign minister, alleging he had capitulated to Turkish demands.

Problematic comments

In an interview with the Greek newspaper To Vima, Samaras said, “The permanent appeasement of Turkish challenges is not a centrist policy… Those who declare that in the name of ‘friendship and tranquillity’ with Turkey they don’t mind ‘being labelled an appeaser’ must be sent home.”

Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said Samaras had “expressed his total disagreement with the whole of the current government policy” and accused him of distorting the foreign minister’s statements.

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“With his comments, Samaras has placed himself out of the New Democracy party,” Marinakis said in a statement, adding, “No one has the right to gamble with the stability of the country in these troubled times.”

Greece and Turkey have a long history of tension, including disputes over maritime boundaries, airspace violations, and the division of Cyprus.

In recent years, both nations have engaged in diplomatic efforts to ease tensions, with initiatives like the “calm waters” talks aiming to foster better relations. However, these efforts have faced criticism from factions within Greece who view them as overly conciliatory.

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Samaras, who does not currently hold a cabinet position, called his expulsion a result of “arrogance and an obvious lack of composure” from Mitsotakis.

Samaras’s history of expulsions

This is not the first time Samaras has been ousted from New Democracy.

In 1993, he was expelled after taking a hardline stance on a dispute with North Macedonia, which led to the fall of the government led by Konstantinos Mitsotakis, the current prime minister’s father.

Samaras later formed his own party before rejoining New Democracy in 2004, eventually becoming party president in 2009 and prime minister in 2012.

With inputs from agencies