Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, who accompanied Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on his trip to the United States, met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and the US President's special envoy for the climate, John Kerry, in Washington on Tuesday.
During the meeting with Blinken, according to diplomatic sources, the US officials noted the exceptional, unique level of US-Greek bilateral relations, which are based on strategic cooperation.
In this context, special mention was made of the amendment of the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement, which was ratified by the Greek Parliament last week and creates even greater possibilities for cooperation, especially in the current critical conjuncture following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The discussion extended to cooperation within multilateral schemes, following the recent meeting of foreign ministers in the "3 + 1" scheme that includes the US. Particular emphasis was placed on energy, where Greece is now assuming a key role in the transportation of natural gas to the rest of Europe, the same sources stressed.
The situation in Ukraine was examined in depth, with the US side expressing its appreciation for the principled position adopted by Greece, which fully supports all measures and strengthens the unity and cohesion of NATO.
The foreign minister fully briefed his US counterpart on the escalation of Turkish rule-breaking behavior, emphasising Greece's firm position in support of bilateral relations based on the principles of International Law, and in particular the Law of the Sea, principles which are fully embraced by the US side.
Dendias also referred in detail to the need to resolve the Cyprus issue based on the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council. The particularly worrying developments in Libya were also discussed.
Ι had a very interesting meeting with US Secretary of State, A. Blinken. We discussed, of course, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and what Greece can do to help Ukraine. Beyond that, we also had the opportunity to discuss the Eastern Mediterranean. pic.twitter.com/QPQaeBZ7Sf
— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) May 18, 2022
Dendias will visit The Hague, Netherlands, on Thursday.
At The Hague, Dendias will meet with his Dutch counterpart Wopke Hoekstra, who will host a working dinner for Dendias.
Talks between the two ministers are expected to focus on strengthening bilateral relations in all areas, on cooperation in international organisations and in the EU and NATO, on the situation in Ukraine after the Russian invasion, and on developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East, and the Western Balkans, according to a statement from the Greek ministry.
The Greek minister will also meet with Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Director General Fernando Arias.
Dendias is also scheduled to meet with International Criminal Court (ICC) President Piotr Hofmanski.
This will be followed by Dendias' meeting with the ICC's alternate prosecutors Mame Mandiaye Niang and Nazhat Shameem Khan.
Finally, Dendias will meet with International Court of Justice (ICJ) President Joan Donoghue and with the ICJ's Secretary Philippe Gautier.
Meanwhile, President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou, who is paying an official visit to Vietnam, had the opportunity to attend a traditional tea ceremony.
Sakellaropoulou, accompanied by the country's vice president, Vo Thi Anh Xuan, took part in the ceremonial ritual, which is characterised by the harmony and simplicity of the movements to prepare and offer the tea with great respect to visitors, in accordance with Asian culture and tradition.
Later, Sakellaropoulou was given a tour of Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO world heritage site, and afterwards she visited the old quarter of Hanoi, which is situated outside the imperial citadel Thang Long.
Με τον Πρόεδρο του Βιετνάμ Nguyễn Xuân Phúc συζητήσαμε για όλες τις πτυχές των διμερών μας σχέσεων και για διεθνή ζητήματα αμοιβαίου ενδιαφέροντος. Συμφωνήσαμε ότι υπάρχει ευρύ πεδίο ενίσχυσης της συνεργασίας 🇬🇷 και 🇻🇳, καθώς και βούληση να εργαστούμε προς αυτή την κατεύθυνση. pic.twitter.com/r4Wp3R9fNm
— President GR (@PresidencyGR) May 16, 2022
The Greek president was informed of the traditions of the people of Vietnam.
She also visited the "Temple of Literature", the first university of Vietnam which was founded in the 11th century and educated the students that would staff the imperial court, while the emperor himself taught Confucianism.
In the evening, Sakellaropoulou will visit Ho Chi Minh City.
READ MORE: Turkish media: “Mitsotakis’ statement about Cyprus is a scandal, he lied about national airspace.”
