The Greek decision to pursue a more active policy in the Middle East, 1955-56: Cyprus, the Baghdad Pact, and the need to counter Turkey

After Konstantinos Karamanlis rose to power in February 1956, he sought to strengthen Greece’s relations with the Arab world, sending Grigorios Kassimatis to Egypt, Syria and Lebanon in March. This article readdresses the factors that led to this ‘opening’ to the Arabs. It is argued that, besides the need to secure support over the Cyprus question in the United Nations, protect the Greek communities, and safeguard the status of the Greek-Orthodox Patriarchates of the East, Athens’ decision to develop relations with the Arabs also stemmed from the need to balance Turkey’s strengthened regional position within the British-led Baghdad Pact since February 1955. Based on several primary sources, including the archives of the Greek Foreign Ministry, this analysis enriches our understanding of Greek Middle Eastern policy and the importance of the wider regional balance to the security of Greek national interests in the Eastern Mediterranean.