Greece-US relations are at their peak, but not at their peak, stressed the American ambassador Jeffrey Payat, citing a top official in Washington who participated in the third Strategic Dialogue between the two countries. This means, as he explained, that there is a clear sense on both sides that we are in a very positive moment in terms of the relationship, but also that we have a very ambitious vision for the future.
Informing reporters about the results of the third Strategic Dialogue and the Amendment to the Greece-US Defense Agreement held last week in Washington, Jeffrey Payat said that was the most intense week of talks between the two governments since the beginning of the Biden administration and underlined that it was the first opportunity to be informed in the USA about how much Greece has changed a lot, but also about the opportunities that Greece offers for the USA and its policy.
He focused on the “excellent interpersonal relationship” between Greek and US Foreign Ministers Nikos Dendias and Anthony Blinken. As for Anthony Blinken, he pointed out that he spoke with great knowledge about everything that Greece went through as well as about the devotion of President Joe Biden to the US-Greece relationship. In addition, he made special reference to the discussions that the Deputy Foreign Minister Costas Frangogiannis had with the new Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Energy and Environment Jose Fernandez regarding the trade and investment relations and the tripartite Greece + Cyprus, Israel, Cyprus 3 + 1, but also in the contacts of the National Security Adviser of the Prime Minister Thanos Dokos, as with his American counterpart in the White House, and of the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Themistoklis Demiris.
Further emphasizing the importance of contacts and the broad agenda of the Greek delegation’s discussions with US officials who play an important role in the Biden administration, he stressed that these talks reflect the changing geometry of Greek foreign policy.
Continuing, he expressed US support for the geometry of Greek foreign policy. “A Greek foreign policy that is no longer limited by a decade of economic crisis and no longer focuses only on one neighbor, but is thinking broadly about how to promote our common interests, stability, democracy and the rule of law in a wide area that reaches from “The Western Balkans to the Black Sea, from the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa, through the Gulf, to the Indian Ocean,” said the US ambassador. Accordingly, he added that the United States has a foreign policy strategy that is based on and is anchored in cooperation with our closest allies. In this context, he maintained that Greece is clearly one of the closest allies of the United States and added that the Strategic Dialogue “was an opportunity for in-depth talks on where we can go together.”
Focusing on the Greece-US Strategic Dialogue, he said that he was the third in which he participated and stressed that he was by far the most productive and richest since the beginning of this process. He stated that he was very impressed “by the quality” of the composition of the Greek delegation in Washington. The experts from the Ministries of Justice, Civil Protection, Defense, Energy, Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Culture, Education, Labor and of course the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were really an “All-Star” team of the Greek government and were very visible in the quality of Jeffrey Payat said that his colleagues in Washington were impressed by it. He also emphasized the quality of the discussions in all its pillars, mentioning in particular energy and climate, law enforcement, trade, investment and counter-terrorism.
The US ambassador then referred to the Amendment of the Defense Agreement of the Hellenic Republic with the United States, making special reference to the letter of Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which emphasizes the leading role played by Greece in the region. It is noted that the letter of the head of US diplomacy accompanied the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement (MDCA) signed at the State Department. In this context, he points out that the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement provides the foundation for the United States to direct additional investment in infrastructure, adding that in Alexandroupolis, Stefanovikeio and Larissa have made improvements. Now, we’ve expanded this portfolio, but we’ve also added the certainty that comes with long-term longer. In particular, it speaks to the importance of the certainty given by its longer duration. At the same time, referring to the Blinken letter, he referred to the strong commitment of the two countries to NATO and expressed his appreciation for the Greek government’s commitment to dialogue, the settlement of disputes peacefully and the common belief that the Mediterranean should be a region of cooperation.
Modification of the Defense Agreement means that the US is committed to its alliance with Greece
Focusing his analysis on the importance of the Defense Agreement and Biden’s letter, he stressed that they mean that Greece’s relations with the United States are stronger than ever, that the United States is committed to its alliance with Greece and that Greece’s reputation has has been significantly strengthened in a number of steps taken by the Greek government over the years to strengthen its role as a source of solutions, its contribution to the Western Balkans, its contribution to the Eastern Mediterranean and its efforts now to expand this area of ​​cooperation even wider.
“It is rare to have a success story like Greece”
Confessing the conversation he had with the new Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Energy and Environment Jose Fernandez before the Strategic Dialogue, Jeffrey Payat said that he commented that it is relatively rare to have a real success story (success story) like the “success story” of the Greek economic recovery. Indicatively, he referred to the attraction of new large investments by Microsoft, AWS, Pfizer, Cisco and everything that accompanies the Greek-American trade and investment relationship.
In favor of the meeting of the 3 + 1 group in Athens
He announced that Jose Fernandez will visit Greece in the coming months and that he also expressed his strong support for the idea of ​​a future meeting of the 3 + 1 group (Greece, Cyprus, Israel, with US support) in Athens, which will gather the different parts of economic, trade, investment, technological cooperation. He made clear again the strong American interest in advancing this form of cooperation.
In addition, the American ambassador referred to the “fantastic success of the tourism economy”, noting that on his return from the United States on an American Airlines flight, all seats on the plane were full of tourists. He said he was glad to hear the tourists upon their arrival in Greece: “You look at the sky. We already love Greece. It is fantastic”. In this light, he said that there is a lot to do in this area.
Finally, Jeffrey Payat made it known that during the talks in Washington there was a rich discussion about Libya, that there was a clear message from Greece to Washington and stressed that there was a great deal of convergence with the American goals. He said Greece had reopened its consulate in Benghazi, stressing that it had a real footprint, adding: “Our stance on Libya is almost the same. We both want to see successful elections. We want to see Libya move towards a more normal stable state. And we firmly agree that all foreign powers must withdraw. ” He also praised Greece’s “constructive” role in Libya.
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