[ad_1]
According to the newspaper, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will take advantage of his visit to Greece this week “to review proposals that provide for the transfer of important US military assets from Incirlik Air Base in Turkey to the Greek island of Crete. where the United States seeks to strengthen its military presence in the eastern Mediterranean. ” .
According to The Times, Pompeo’s visit to Greece was a sign of America’s impatience with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s repeated provocations, most notably his “insistence on purchasing Russian S-400 anti-aircraft systems, despite strong opposition. of the United States and Turkey’s allies. ” In the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) “.
“It is not yet clear whether Washington can transfer all its forces, including its nuclear arsenal, from Incirlik, but Pompeo’s presence in Greece reinforces the message that the United States is actively seeking alternative options,” said military analyst Athanasios Drogos in Athens. . Which is a thorn in Erdogan’s throat. “
Incirlik, “established at the height of the Cold War near the Turkish border with Syria, has long been a vital and important base for US strategic interests in the Middle East. It has recently been used as a site for airstrikes. led by the United States against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. “
But now the United States is looking for a new base for al Qaeda, which is “an American naval facility on the northwest coast of Crete, called” Souda Bay, “which Pompeo plans to visit on Tuesday.
The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee for Europe, Ron Johnson, said that “the offshore installation” Souda Bay “will have great strategic importance in the future.”
