United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Athens on Monday evening (Greece time), and said that together Greece and the United States are advancing their shared goals.
“Kalispera Greece! This is my first visit to the birthplace of democracy as Secretary of State. Together, the United States and Greece are advancing our shared goals for peace and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean, Western Balkans, Black Sea region, and beyond,” he said.
Blinken met with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and on Tuesday with Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias to launch the Fourth US-Greece Strategic Dialogue.
In the discussion with the prime minister, the Secretary of State emphasised the importance of Greece in the region. The discussion was uploaded on the Secretary of State website.
“The role that Greece is playing throughout the region as, as you noted, an energy hub, as a leader on climate, as a leader also for integrating countries further into Europe – the Western Balkans – is making a huge, huge difference and we’re grateful for that.”
“I’m also pleased that I’m here also to inaugurate the fourth Strategic Dialogue between our countries. That’s a vehicle for really strengthening even more the partnership that we have on a bilateral basis as well as the work that we’re doing together in the region and around the world. I look forward to continuing to deepen the economic ties between us, the people-to-people ties.”
In Turkey, Blinken stressed his belief that Greece and Turkey can move forward following the aftermath of the destructive earthquake.
“Turkey and Greece are close friends and, of course, NATO Allies. And both are very important partnerships and relationships for us. It was incredibly gratifying to see Greeks – and also, by the way, Armenians, Israelis – working shoulder to shoulder with Turks to help people in the earthquake,” he said, adding that “if there can be anything positive coming from this catastrophe, maybe it is improved relations with these countries.”
“I think Turkey has taken steps to try to improve relations. We very much support those. I look forward to conversations in Greece to see how we can be helpful.”
“I think both countries need to make efforts both to calm any tensions and also to find a positive way forward in improving relations. By the way, if some of these long-time disputes – for example, maritime disputes – can be resolved, then the possibilities are immense, notably for Turkey because Turkey would be at the heart of a flow of energy across the Mediterranean, also the Aegean, and the – but particularly in the Eastern Mediterranean from Northern Africa to Europe,” he said. He concluded that “there’s a real benefit to resolving these longstanding differences because it just creates more opportunity for people.”
