Rutte’s itinerary includes a meeting with Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis at 11:00, followed by a visit to the Ministry of Defence for discussions with Defence Minister Nikos Dendias.
The visit follows Rutte’s trip to Turkey on Sunday, November 24, where he met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to ERT, Rutte is expected to underscore Greece’s strategic role as a stabilising force in the Eastern Mediterranean. His visit comes at a time when NATO allies are urged to reaffirm their commitment to Western unity amid ongoing conflicts.
A focus on defence spending
On Friday, Rutte met with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Palm Beach, Florida. Known for fostering cooperative relations with Trump during his previous tenure as U.S. president, Rutte praised Trump’s efforts to encourage increased defence spending among NATO allies.
In 2014, only three NATO countries—the U.S., the U.K., and Greece—met the 2% GDP target for defence spending. Today, that number has risen to 23 out of NATO’s 32 member states, reflecting a shift in the alliance’s priorities.
Protests against Rutte’s visit
Rutte’s visit has sparked protests in Athens, with the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and its youth wing, KNE, organising a rally at 11:30 a.m. at Propylaea. Demonstrators are denouncing NATO’s presence with slogans like “The head of the NATO wolf alliance is unwanted in Athens.”
Additionally, leftist organisations and anti-imperialist collectives have called for a rally at 12:00 p.m. in Syntagma Square to protest Rutte’s visit. They accuse Greece’s government and pro-NATO political forces of complicit involvement in U.S. and Israeli actions in Gaza and Lebanon.
Banners opposing NATO and Rutte’s presence were also displayed near the Ukrainian Embassy by collectives calling for NATO’s defeat. The banners labelled the NATO Secretary General “undesirable” in Greece.
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