NATO nuclear policy chief visited Greek Araxos base amid US nukes transfer claims

Nuclear warheads from Turkey's İncirlik base could be relocated to Greece, reports say
Sputnik
Tuesday, 22 May 2018 16:44

Director of NATO Nuclear Policy Fred Frederickson accompanied by other alliance's officials visited Greece's Araxos Air Base in the Peloponnese, where the sites suitable for storing nuclear weapons are located, amid reports about possible US nuclear warheads' relocation to the southeastern European country, local media reported on Tuesday.

The visit took place on Thursday, the Militaire news outlet reported.

Speculations about the possible redeployment of US troops and weapons, including nuclear arms, from Turkey's İncirlik base to Greece emerged amid deteriorating relations between Washington and Ankara after the 2016 failed coup attempt in Turkey, when access to the base was temporarily blocked.

According to the media outlet, nuclear warheads from the İncirlik base could be relocated to Greece — either to the Araxos Air Base, or to the Souda base in Crete.

In September, Dimitris Koutsoumpas, the head of the Communist Party of Greece, expressed concerns during his speech at an exhibition in Thessaloniki about the possible plans to transfer US nuclear weapons to Greece. Several days after, Alternate Defence Minister Dimitris Vitsas said that there were no plans to deploy any nuclear weapons at the Araxos base.

The reports about the plans of the Greek government to deploy NATO nuclear warheads at the Araxos base have prompted protests from the Greek public in September.