Rubio in Athens for key US-Greece talks
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Athens for the sixth round of the US-Greece Strategic Dialogue, with energy, defense, security, technology and regional developments at the center of his meetings with Greek officials.
Rubio arrived in Greece Tuesday evening as part of a European tour that also includes Iceland and Portugal. He was received early Wednesday at the Foreign Ministry by his Greek counterpart, George Gerapetritis, with the two ministers later making joint statements and formally opening the Strategic Dialogue.
The talks are aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation on defense, regional security and energy, areas identified by Washington as key priorities.
Mitsotakis meeting and official dinner
Rubio is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximos Mansion at 7 p.m.
The meeting will be followed by an official dinner hosted by the Greek prime minister.
Earlier in the day, Rubio is expected to attend the inauguration of renovation works at the US Embassy in Athens before taking part in the main session of the Strategic Dialogue at noon.
The discussions will cover regional issues, people-to-people ties, security and law enforcement, energy, shipping, technology, trade and investment, and defense.
New defense cooperation with Florida
Greece and the United States are expected to sign a Letter of Intent establishing cooperation between the Greek Armed Forces and the Florida National Guard.
The agreement is intended to strengthen military cooperation and expand ties between the two countries’ defense institutions.
The two sides are also expected to renew an agreement restricting the import of certain categories of Greek archaeological and ethnological material dating to the 15th century and earlier.
A separate memorandum of understanding will provide for mutual recognition of seafarers’ certificates of competency under the 1978 STCW international convention.
The agreement is designed to facilitate employment opportunities for seafarers and strengthen cooperation in maritime training.
Rubio to speak at the Pnyx
Rubio will also deliver a major speech at the Pnyx, overlooking the Acropolis, at 6 p.m., before meeting Mitsotakis.
According to Dylan Johnson, the US assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, Rubio will use the historic site to discuss the future of Western civilization and call for what he described as a “great renaissance of the Western spirit.”
The speech is expected to draw on the legacy of ancient Greece and its influence on Western political and cultural traditions, while addressing what Washington sees as the challenges posed by a new era of great-power competition.
Rubio is expected to emphasize shared American and European heritage and call on Western allies to work together in defending that heritage and confronting emerging geopolitical challenges.
Strategic dialogue enters sixth round
The US-Greece Strategic Dialogue was launched in 2018 as a framework for strengthening bilateral cooperation across a range of sectors.
The sixth round will also include discussions on global issues during a working lunch between the two delegations.
The previous round was held in Washington in February 2024.
The current talks are expected to conclude at 5 p.m., before Rubio’s evening meeting with Mitsotakis and his address at the Pnyx.
Source:AMNA
