The conflict between Israel and Iran is not a distant front without consequences for Europe. On the contrary, it directly affects Europe’s southeastern flank—and, as a priority, the Eastern Mediterranean. Greece must view this crisis not merely as someone else’s problem, but as a test of its geopolitical judgment and diplomatic capacity.
The most telling reflection of this crisis appears in Turkey. Although not directly involved, its internal turbulence is intensifying. A deep existential fear prevails—not of external invasion, but of internal destabilization. The concern centers less on military strength than on the weakening of institutions, social polarization, and strategic confusion.
Back in the foreground is the influence of the perennial “deep state”—that opaque mechanism that cuts across governments, shapes national-security orientations, and imposes lines on political leaderships. In times of crisis like the present, its activation is visible in rhetoric about “internal enemies,” references to encirclement, and pressures for stricter state discipline.
At the same time, Ankara is unsettled by Cyprus’s enhanced strategic importance and is turning its gaze toward Libya, seeking to reconfigure its influence vis-à-vis the United States and Europe. In this unstable and fluid environment, the likelihood of exporting the internal crisis westward—whether in the Aegean or the wider Mediterranean—is not negligible.
This is precisely where the need for a Greek diplomatic initiative emerges. Rather than limiting itself to the role of observer or peripheral recipient of developments, Greece can—and should—assume the role of a stabilizing mediator. A regional consultation, either informal or organized within existing multilateral formats (MED9, SEECP, or an ad hoc ministerial), could strengthen:
- the region’s collective resilience,
- cooperation on energy and hybrid security,
- political understanding around critical issues of medium-term stability.
In a world shifting from the rulebook to the unexpected, prevention is a political responsibility. And in a region where History returns through crises, diplomacy must return through initiatives.
Greece possesses the advantages of stability, EU membership, and channels of trust with all key actors. Now is the time to use them—not for show, but out of responsibility.