Draft text of defense deal with US completed
The negotiations between technical teams from the US and Greece regarding modifications to the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement (MDCA) between the two countries have been completed, Kathimerini understands.
The negotiations, which were held over a two-and-a-half-month period, were overseen on the Greek side by Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias.
According to the final draft, there will be no time limit on the defense agreement and it can only be declared null if one of the two sides pulls out.
The final draft of the deal was agreed by the two technical teams on Tuesday and will be formally signed by Dendias and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his official visit to Greece in two weeks.
The completion of the new agreement is seen as a result of the necessity to upgrade Greece’s strategic importance and to expand America’s presence in a period of uncertainty in the region.
The new deal establishes the operational framework of the US presence at the northern Greek port of Alexandroupoli, which Greece sees as being of significant geostrategic value.
The deal also outlines the terms of operation at Marathi at the Souda base on Crete and also ensures the establishment of high-technology installations on Greek soil and within Greek bases and camps in central Greece.
