Greece hails US Senate passage of Partnership Act

Greece’s Foreign Affairs ministry has welcomed the passage, by the US Senate, of the US-Greece Defense and Inter-Parliamentary Partnership Act of 2021.

The Act, attached as an amendment to the annual National Defense Authorization Act, enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support in the US House and Senate. It was introduced last June by Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman and Member, respectively, of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

“We welcome today’s adoption of the US-Greece Defence and Inter-Parliamentary Partnership Act, which recognizes Greece’s strategic importance as a pillar of stability in the region, the US’s commitment to Greece’s security and prosperity and the paramount importance of the Greece and US strategic disparity,” the ministry’s official account tweeted.

“We express our deepest appreciation for the passing of this Act, which bears testimony to the unique relationship between our two countries. We would like to express our deep gratitude to the bipartisan support it received and in particular to the cosponsors of the Act in the US Senate, Senators Bob Menendez and Marco Rubio, as well as in the US House of Representatives, Congressmen Ted Deutch and Gus Bilirakis,” the ministry added.

The passage of the legislation Wednesday was also welcomed by the American Jewish Committee.

“The American Jewish Committee (AJC) salutes today’s passage of the US-Greece Defense and Interparliamentary Partnership Act.

AJC and the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) have championed the Act to bolster US commitment to strong, democratic partnerships in the region and build upon the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019. As Greece celebrates its bicentennial, the advocacy organizations hailed the bill as a crucial action to advance Greece’s military modernization, cement US military cooperation with Greece, and invest in the partnership among Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and the US by establishing a 3+1 interparliamentary group.

“This groundbreaking legislation is a welcome next step to further enhance US engagement in the strategically important Eastern Mediterranean,” said AJC CEO David Harris, who has been a leader in advancing US, Cyprus, Greece, and Israel ties for nearly four decades. “It is immensely heartening to witness Congress come together in a bipartisan fashion to strengthen our democratic partners and regional stability in a part of the world critical to American interests.”

Great day for 🇬🇷🤝🇺🇸! Thanks to Senator Menendez and our friends in US Congress for the adoption of the US-Greece Defense and Interparliamentary Act!

— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) December 15, 2021