The US Ambassador to Greece Mr Geoffrey Pyatt said on Wednesday that Turkey's continued detention of the two Greek soldiers was 'unacceptable'.
Pyatt made the comments during his inaugural speech at the Prometheus Energy Lecture organised by the University of Piraeus where he discussed the bilateral ties between the USA and Greece.
"You have intimate familiarity with Turkey, you have great soft power, but you are also impacted every single day by unpredictable behaviours, whether it is ship collisions in the Eastern Aegean or the unacceptable continued detention of two Greek soldiers, who should have come home in the spirit of our alliance relationship," Pyatt said.
Meanwhile Greek Parliament President Nikos Voutsis paid a visit on Wednesday to the two Greek soldiers being held in Turkish prison in Edirne. During the meeting, he told them that they have the universal support of the Greek people and of the country's state and political leadership for their unfair detention.
"I think for the United States, thinking about the challenge of Turkey's strategic direction, we have no greater ally than Greece," he added.
Pyatt went on to discuss energy issues with comments many speculate could be aimed at either Turkey or Russia, saying that "no country from outside Europe’s Energy Union has the ability to manipulate its resources or leverage its position in the global energy market to extort other nations."
"ExxonMobil has expressed its interest in partnership with Total and Hellenic to explore production possibilities in Greek waters. Also, General Electric has expressed its confidence in the wind market, which it sees expanding not only in Greece, but throughout Europe," he said.
"I would say that the friendship between Greece and United States has never been stronger, and energy issues - and energy diplomacy - has never loomed as large in its relationship as it does today. The United States will continue to partner with Greece, with the European Commission, and all of our European Allies and partners to advance European energy security, which benefits our shared security and prosperity," he said.
