Greek-US ties stronger than ever
The excellent relations between Greece and the United States were highlighted once again in the contacts that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had on Friday at the 59th Munich Security Conference, ahead of a visit on Monday to Athens of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Mitsotakis met with a 17-member bipartisan congressional delegation led by Senator Lindsey Graham.
The delegation consisted of one congressman and 16 senators, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez and Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Committee and a long-time supporter of strengthening Greek-American relations.
Government sources said that during his talks with the delegation, Mitsotakis underscored Greece’s role as a pillar of stability, peace and security in the region, as a provider of energy security, and as a reliable partner and ally in the new geopolitical landscape shaped by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The delegation was broadly composed of individuals who understand the importance of Greece in the region, and who have also opposed the unconditional Senate and House acquiescence to the Biden Administration’s plan to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.
Mitsotakis will host a dinner in honor of Blinken on Monday evening, while on Tuesday morning the American secretary of state and his counterpart Nikos Dendias will inaugurate the 4th Greece-US Strategic Dialogue.
Also on Friday, Mitsotakis participated in a panel debating migration that also featured EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, Tunisian Prime Minister Najla Bouden Romdhane and Veronica Escobar, a member of the US House of Representatives.
The Greek PM has been steadfast in highlighting migration as a European issue which, by its very nature, requires a common solution within the EU framework. This general approach to the issue was confirmed, according to the government, at the last European Council, where, sources said, basic Greek positions on both the need to protect the EU’s external borders and cooperation with third countries were recognized.
