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Friday, September 25, 2020, 10:45 PM
Pompeo’s visit to Greece will focus on security, defense and energy issues. A State Department official outlined the US Secretary of State’s agenda to visit Thessaloniki and Crete, noting that the United States has repeatedly supported the need to reduce escalation and the return of Greece and Turkey to the dialogue table.
In practice, Pompeo’s visit to Greece, a few weeks after his trip to Nicosia, marks the improvement of strategic relations between the United States and Greece, while at the same time sending a message to Turkey that it needs a lasting reduction in instead of temporary based on tactics and combined with seeking solutions through diplomacy, avoiding threats and new challenges.
The trip to Pompeo comes at a time when the US administration is determined to enhance the US presence in the region, but also to implement the East Med Act legislation, which focuses on closer cooperation between Greece, Israel and Cyprus. but also in the implementation of some of the constant demands of the Greek-American and Greek Cypriot pressure groups, such as the decision to lift the arms embargo on Cyprus.
The first stop on Pompeo’s visit will be Thessaloniki, where he will be greeted by Nikos Dendias. According to the State Department official, the US presence in northern Greece and Thessaloniki is growing steadily, with infrastructure such as the port of Alexandroupolis but also energy projects such as the FSRU floating gas station, the TAP pipeline and the Greek Gas Pipeline. Bulgarian, very high on the American interest list.
“In Thessaloniki, we will show how we stand on the side of Greece, investing in the future of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans.” The United States is making efforts to help Greece become a more capable partner for the United States in the areas of diversification and independence. energetic “.
The second stop of the trip will be Crete, where Kyriakos Mitsotakis will receive Mr. Pompeo. The US official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, but said he was reflecting on expanding the defense relationship following the update of the bilateral Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement (MDCA).
Regarding the latest events in the Eastern Mediterranean, the official recalled that Washington has repeatedly expressed its need to de-escalate. In addition, he said that Mike Pompeo has welcomed recent positive developments and the prospect of returning to dialogue.
In this regard, he noted that the United States welcomes the announcement of the resumption of exploratory talks and expressed its confidence that this issue will be discussed during the visit. However, he clarified that the main objective of the trip continues to be the further development of bilateral relations.
Finally, he said that progress in relations between the United States and Greece is a positive development for the entire region, while regarding Turkey, he commented that relations with one country do not affect relations with another country.
AP Photo / Patrick Semansky
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