State Department: US-Greek relations at an ‘historic high point’
The United States and Greece are working together in the Eastern Mediterranean to expand regional cooperation, including through the “3+1” grouping with Greece, Cyprus, and Israel, the State Department said on Friday, as its head Mike Pompeo started his two-day visit to Athens.
The State Department said bilateral relations are at an "historic high point" and the two countries are investing in the future of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans, including by restoring Thessaloniki as “a gateway to the Balkans for investment and trade".
Concerning the updated Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement (MDCA) which will be signed by Pompeo and Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias, it said it will enable the two countries to expand bilateral activities at Larissa, Stefanovikio, and Alexandroupoli, and sustain increased activity at Naval Support Activity Souda Bay.
The State Department also said energy security are "foundational” to economic security, political security, and sovereignty, and that Greece is helping to bring new energy sources to Europe via soon-to-be completed Trans-Adriatic Pipeline.
The volume of LNG arriving in Greece has doubled in the past year, and it will soon replace Russia as the Greece’s largest source of gas, it added.
