Azov soldier addresses Greek parliament
Zelensky spoke to the Greek parliament in a video address on Thursday. He also showed the video message of a man who introduced himself as a member of the Greek minority in Ukraine and is fighting in Mariupol. The fact that the man is a member of the ultra-nationalist Azov regiment has triggered debate in the commentary sections of Greek media.
This was an insult
Syriza MP Giorgos Varemenos expresses his dismay on TVXS:
“The presence of a representative of a pro-Nazi battalion in the Greek parliament was insulting. The Ukrainian president, when asked by an American journalist about the Nazis of the Azov battalion, recently stated that 'they are who they are, but they fight'. But precisely because they are who they are, they have no place in the Greek parliament. ... This was a dark chapter in the history of the Greek Parliament, and one should not say that it was the fault of the interpreter, who could not conceal this.”
Spare us the crocodile tears!
Dimitris Kourkoulas, former deputy foreign minister of the social democratic Pasok party and ex-EU ambassador, criticises the reactions of the left-wing opposition in Liberal:
“Are there extreme right-wing political groups in Ukraine? They exist, and in the last election they won two percent of the vote. Let's remember that Syriza governs together with the far-right Anel and allied itself with the fascist Chrysi Avgi in crucial votes. Are there Nazi elements in the Azov battalion? Yes. But let's also remember that Nazis sat in the Greek parliament for years and were financed by it!”