US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, sent a clear message about the all firsts of Greece in a multitude of issues, such as support for Ukraine. Blinken is on his first visit to Athens since becoming Secretary of State and made the comments in a meeting with the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
For his part, the Greek prime minister spoke about the deepening of relations between the two countries and also about the tragedy of the earthquakes in Turkey, noting that “our hearts are broken”.
The dinner that will follow the meeting on the part of Greece will be attended by, among others, the Minister of Defence Nikos Panagiotopoulos, and Greek Ambassador to the USA Alexandra Papadopoulou.
On the American side, the ambassador to Greece, George Tsunis, is expected to be at the Maximos Palace.
The American Foreign Minister arrived at 19:20 at Megaros Maximos, while dinner followed immediately after. It is noted that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, developed a fever due to a cold and will not attend the dinner hosted by the Prime Minister.
All the tests that Dendias has undergone are negative and his meeting with Blinken on Tuesday, February 21, will take place as usual, like the rest of the program that has been announced, in the context of the 4th round of the Greece-US Strategic Dialogue.
Mitsotakis: Our hearts are broken by the humanitarian disaster in Turkey
During the dialogue they both had in front of the cameras, the Prime Minister welcomed the American Foreign Minister pointing out that Greece has supported Ukraine in every way, including militarily, in the difficult times it is going through after the invasion of Ukraine.
“Greece has shown that it does not tolerate such behaviors,” said the prime minister, noting that “we hope that after all this time we will not be so dependent on Russian gas.”
The prime minister pointed out that Greece and the USA are very close and in fact in recent years their relations have deepened both at the military and energy levels.
The prime minister then referred to the devastating earthquake in Turkey. “We are shocked by the great disaster that hit our neighbors,” said the Greek premier, adding that “our heart broke, we were among the first to send help.”
“As much as there are significant political differences with our neighbors, our peoples are close and we hope to be able to build on that bond.”
For his part, the US Secretary of State congratulated Greece’s firsts on a large number of fronts, such as in supporting Ukraine.
It is recalled that the government spokesperson Yannis Economou, during the briefing to journalists, described the Blinken visit as an extremely positive event and underlined that Greece’s relations with the USA are at the best level in recent years.
Regarding the agenda for the meeting between the US Secretary of State and the Prime Minister, G. Economou said that all the issues concerning our country, but also the international political scene, including all the major issues, the war in Ukraine, energy, relations with Turkey, NATO.
The post by the American Secretary of State on his arrival in Athens:
“Kalispera Greece! This is my first visit to the birthplace of democracy as Secretary of State. Together, the United States and Greece are advancing our shared goals for peace and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean, Western Balkans, Black Sea region, and beyond.”
Kalispera Greece! This is my first visit to the birthplace of democracy as Secretary of State. Together, the United States and Greece are advancing our shared goals for peace and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean, Western Balkans, Black Sea region, and beyond. pic.twitter.com/wr7dF99q3C
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) February 20, 2023
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