Vice Admiral HN ( Ret ) Vasilis Martzoukos
Hon . C . O . Of the Hellenic Naval Academy , Vice President , Hellenic Institute for Strategic Studies ( HEL . I . S . S .)
He entered the Naval Academy in 1971 and was graduated in 1975 . He was retired in 2006 . Indicative assignments : As C . O . at FPBGS and Frigates , as Chief of Staff of the Fleet , as C . O . of the Frigates Command , as Naval Aid to the President of the Hellenic Republic ( 1990 – 1992 ), as director for policy and planning at HNGS , as Naval Attache Germany , as C . O . at Souda Naval Base and as C . O . at the Hellenic Naval Academy . V . Admiral Martzoukos is a graduate from Naval War College ( RI - USA ). He has received a Master ’ s degree in Weapons Engineering at Naval Postgraduate School ( CA – USA ) and a Master ’ s degree in International Relations and Strategic Studies at Panteion University of Athens . Currently Vice Admiral V . Martzoukos is the Vice President of the Hellenic Institute for Strategic Studies . He is associated with the Hellenic National Defence College . He participates in lectures and seminars , he writes articles in magazines and websites , he participates in studies , in collective writers books , as well as in military analyses on TV .
" The Western Security Interests and the Geopolitical Balances of the Wider Eastern Mediterranean "
The West faces a challenging international environment . The purpose of this presentation is to describe the situation in the broader Eastern Mediterranean , identify the sources of instability and suggest the best approach for the Western interests . The West today has to face the strong international competition , its economy and energy security , demographics and migration challenges . In terms of trade and energy , the implementation of Abraham Accords as well as the maritime link with India would be a positive development . Western vital interests in Africa are being damaged , mainly to the benefit of China , Russia and Turkey . A rapid increase in mass illegal migration from Africa to Europe is expected , raising issues related to social cohesion and security . The costly war in Ukraine continues and in any kind of negotiations , Ukraine needs to be strong enough to set conditions securing Europe . The Balkans continue to justify their title as “ Europe ’ s powder keg ”. Europe is now testing its energy security . The green transition is costly and a long term goal . The E . Mediterranean ’ s critical geopolitical value causes transnational and local rivalries . Western investment in authoritarian , repressive , opportunistic states is a high risk move . Greece dominates geographically in E . Mediterranean and its relationship with the West is mainly value-based . For many reasons Turkey constitutes a destabilizing factor and its policy comes into conflict with the West . The Turkish illegal claims by Greece and Cyprus , maintain the Greek-Turkish relations as a zero - sum relations . The unjust and unsustainable solution to the Cyprus problem is a factor of instability . The credibility of Western sensitivity to Ukraine is being tested in Cyprus . The West will have to defend in every way its value system . European defense integration should be accelerated . Any destabilizing factor in E . Mediterranean has to be isolated . The EU must play a dynamic role in both the energy issue and the Cyprus problem . The energy to Europe should be routed through friendly Western waters and friendly states , while ensuring that no state becomes an exclusive or dominant energy transit hub , with similar European dependance . Greece ’ s prominent geographical position makes it central hub for Western interests in the wider area .