The United States continues to encourage Turkey to refrain from provocative actions, said US Ambassador Jeffrey Payat. More specifically, in a press briefing, he stated that the US responded immediately to the Turkish allegations that challenged the sovereignty of specific Greek islands. We were very clear on this, he stressed, and very strong in our commitment to support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Greece.
He also expressed the US satisfaction with the conduct of exploratory contacts yesterday in Athens, as well as for the discussion of the Positive Agenda between Deputy Foreign Ministers Costas Frangogiannis and Sedat Onal, which took place on Monday.
He noted that divisions within NATO only serve his opponents and hailed the Greek government’s efforts to stabilize dialogue with Turkey.
Greece’s “strong role” in Mariupol – We greatly appreciate the steps taken by Greece to strengthen its energy security
Regarding the situation in Ukraine, the American ambassador pointed out that Greece is an important part of the consultations that the US has with its partners in Europe for Ukraine in order to compose perceptions, making special reference to the “very cooperation” of Nikos. Dendia with Wendy Sherman. He also referred to his co-operation with Foreign Ministers Nikos Dendias, Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos, Energy Costas Skrekas, Economy and Investment Adonis Georgiadis, and national security adviser Thanos Doko, “for the collective response to this challenge.” In fact, he underlined “positive clear and strong messages” sent by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, including his statements yesterday during the meeting with the Bulgarian Foreign Minister, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and the Foreign Ministry with his statement. which we welcomed “. In addition, he noted that the Prime Minister was also part of the consultation process that took place over the weekend at the Munich Conference, where he met with US Vice President Kamala Harris.
Furthermore, he expressed the appreciation of the USA in Greece for the role played by the Greek consulate in Mariupol, as well as for the interest of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the members of the Greek community in this region. In fact, she made special reference to the recent visit of Nikos Dendias to Mariupol, noting that she was the first European Foreign Minister on the front line of Ukraine.
Referring to the Greek community in Mariupol, she said she is very proud of her Greek identity, “but she is also very Ukrainian”.
He also stressed that he particularly appreciates the “strong role” of Greece in Mariupol and added that he is in close contact with the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the situation in the region.
At the same time, he underlined the US commitment to the NATO alliance and specifically to Article 5, including the NATO alliance with Greece. In this context, the American ambassador pointed out that the cooperation with Greece in the field of defense and security has been strengthened in recent years, mainly through the two amendments and extensions of mutual defense cooperation.
Jeffrey Payat then referred to the redeployment of US troops in Europe, announced last night by US President Joe Biden, in order to “strengthen the credibility of our deterrence and our security commitments in countries close to Ukraine, such as Poland and the Baltic States “.
He added that the Pentagon announced that 12 AH-64 Apache would be moved from Volos to Poland in the next few days. He also noted that the US will continue to have a part of this Force in Greece, and expressed the gratitude of its commanders and soldiers for their stay in Volos as well as the opportunities they have to strengthen their readiness by participating in exercises with them. their colleagues in the Greek Armed Forces.
Commenting on statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin, he referred to reports by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that he had made it very clear to the world that this crisis was not about NATO, the US or any other state, but the existence of Ukraine. as a sovereign country. Jeffrey Payat called “the claim that Ukraine was a creation of Russia and therefore submissive to Russia” historically incorrect. In the US view, he said, “Putin’s speech ignored history and international law, and most importantly, ignored the will of tens of millions of patriotic Ukrainians, who are very proud of their nation and very committed to the European path.” Elsewhere in the discussion, the US ambassador said that what impressed him was “how cut off Putin was from the reality of Ukraine.” He called Putin’s Donetsk and Luhansk democracies “fake.”
He also noted that the US response to Russia over Ukraine enjoys a strong consensus between Republicans and Democrats, and stressed the importance of the transatlantic alliance in addressing this challenge.
In terms of energy, the US ambassador welcomed the steps taken by Greece to strengthen its own energy security, “in response to Russian threats”, but also to provide energy flexibility to Bulgaria. He went on to say that the completion of the IGB pipeline is even more important today.
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