Greece an ‘indispensable’ NATO ally, State Department spokesman says
The United States has affirmed Greece’s status as an “indispensable” NATO ally, saying it plays a key role in advancing the two countries’ shared objectives in Europe and the eastern Mediterranean.
“We view Greece as an indispensable partner and a key NATO ally to the United States, and Greece plays a critical role in defending NATO’s southeastern flank. And today, together, the US and Greece are advancing our shared goals for not just their immediate region but for Europe more broadly,” State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told a regular news briefing on Friday.
Patel was reacting to a question from a Turkish journalist regarding the Greek foreign minister’s recent visit to Libya. Nikos Dendias refused to disembark from his plane after landing in the capital of Tripoli and instead flew to the city of Benghazi, in the country’s east.
Responding to a followup question on Greece’s snub of Libya’s western, Tripoli-based administration, the spokesman repeated:
“What I would just say, as I don’t have any specific reaction to offer, is that Greece is an indispensable partner and a key NATO ally to the United States, and it plays an important role in protecting NATO’s southeastern flank but also helping the United States achieve its goals for the immediate Mediterranean region but also Europe more broadly.”
