EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis) In this 1996 interview, two remarkable Hellenes (to the core of their soul), Yiannis Smaragdis and Sotirios Sofianopoulos offer a forceful critique of modern Greek politics, arguing that the nation’s sovereignty has been systematically undermined by both foreign powers and its own political elites. Sofianopoulos portrays post-war Greece as trapped in a web of dependence—its leaders serving outside interests rather than the Greek people. The phrase “Η προδοσία της Ελλάδας” (“The betrayal of Greece”) encapsulates his conviction that betrayal is not a single act but a long historical process of submission and compromise.
Sofianopoulos broadens his argument to the economic realm, contending that Greece’s immense natural wealth—especially its energy resources—has been deliberately suppressed or exploited by international forces working hand-in-hand with domestic collaborators. According to him, economic subservience is the continuation of political betrayal by other means. This dynamic, he claims, has robbed Greece of the ability to chart its own development and maintain control over its future prosperity. He uses the term TRAITORS again and again – there is no other word to describe what is happening in Greece!!
At minute 39, Sofianopoulos explained that he obtained an official government permit to explore Zakynthos for oil, which he did. The moment he managed to produce by his initial, naturally poor, tools and methods 60 barrels a day, the government sent the Police to arrest him!!
The interview concludes as both indictment and call to action. Sofianopoulos urges Greeks to “think Greek and national,” rejecting the apathy and foreign-mindedness he sees as symptoms of the country’s decline. His words, charged with moral and emotional intensity, frame national revival as an act of consciousness—reclaiming not only political independence but also a cultural identity that has been diluted by decades of outside influence.
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Actually the wealthiest countries are the Netherlands. Denmark, Ireland & Luxembourg. What happened to England?
In terms of mineral wealth Greece is at the top. The countries you refer to (with the exception of Ireland) have a long tradition in colonialism and ruthless exploitation of other people all over the globe.