By Penelope Galliou

The exceptional level of Greece-US relations, which is characterized as a “high record” in recent years, was confirmed both during the meeting between Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Anthony Blinken at the Maximos Palace and during the working dinner that followed between the two men and of the delegations of Greece and the USA.

A few hours after his visit to Turkey, Mr American Secretary of State crossed the threshold of the Maximos Palace and with the Greek Prime Minister they exchanged views on international, European and regional issues, with a focus on the developments in Ukraine, but at the same time there was also an overall overview of Greek-American relations.

According to government sources, this is an important trip to Athens that confirmed and will confirm today during the 4th round of the Greece-US strategic dialogue that begins at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that “Greece is the serious partner, it is the reliable pole in neighborhood”.

Diplomatic sources also commented that the visit of the head of American diplomacy to our country once again demonstrates, in the most tangible way, the confidence of the US in our country’s indisputable role in defending stability and prosperity in the wider region, amidst rapid geopolitical developments, while as they estimated the present visit “will seal the emergence of Greece as one of the most reliable partners of the USA at a geostrategic level”.

Moreover, during the meeting between Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Anthony Blinken, the US Secretary of State expressed his appreciation for the support without asterisks provided by Greece to Ukraine from the very beginning and underlined Greece’s role as a pillar of stability and security in the wider region .

At the center of the discussions was – as expected – the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and the devastating earthquakes in Turkey, with the American Secretary of State thanking the Prime Minister for the immediate help that Greece provided to Turkey at this difficult time. In addition, the two interlocutors agreed on the importance of security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean at a critical geopolitical juncture, with Kyriakos Mitsotakis underlining that the stable position of Greece and the guiding principle of its policy was and remains the peaceful resolution of disputes and good neighborly relations based on International Law.

The working dinner was attended, from the Greek side, by the Minister of National Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos, the US Ambassador to Greece George Tsounis, the Greek Ambassador to the US Alexandra Papadopoulou, the Director of the Diplomatic Office of the Prime Minister Ambassador Anna-Maria Boura and the Deputy Government Representative Aristotelia Peloni.

Absent from the working dinner was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, who, as it became known, developed a fever due to a cold and did not attend the Maximos Palace for precautionary reasons.

In fact, since all the tests that Mr. Dendias has undergone are negative, today his meeting with Anthony Blinken will take place as normal, as will the rest of the program that has been announced, in the context of the fourth round of the Greece-US Strategic Dialogue.

Specifically at 8:45 a.m., as part of the extended talks, the two ministers will announce the start of the 4th round of the Greece-US Strategic Dialogue and then talks between the two delegations will follow, according to a relevant announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Afterwards, there will be a private meeting between the foreign ministers of Greece and the US, while at 10:30 joint statements to the press will take place.

It is recalled that the 3rd round of the Greece-US Strategic Dialogue took place in Washington in October 2021.

The areas of cooperation covered by the Strategic Dialogue are: Regional Issues, Defense and Security, Law Enforcement and Counter-Terrorism, Humanitarian Challenges and Disaster Preparedness, Trade and Investment, Energy and Environment, People-to-People Ties. The talks in the framework of bilateral relations are expected to focus on ways to further strengthen strategic bilateral relations, in all sectors as well as regional and international developments.