The second round of Greece-United States Strategic Dialogue is being held on Monday in the wake of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Athens, which marked an upgrade of the Defence Agreement with Greece.
A series of bilateral consultations will be held between senior Greek and U.S. officials on a wide range of issues, including security, energy, trade, the economy, investment, culture and education.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Philip Reeker will announce the start of the proceedings.
Regional cooperation and security issues, including, among others, the Western Balkans, Syria and the Eastern Mediterranean, with a focus on discussing Turkey’s continuing violent behaviour in the Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) will dominate strategic dialogue between the two sides. Another key point, according to diplomatic sources, will be Greece’s role as a factor of stability in the wider region, with the cooperation schemes that it has established with a number of countries in Southeast Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean undoubtedly at the forefront.
In addition, the international dimension of the refugee-migration issue and the situation on Greece’s eastern border will be discussed.
The Greece-U.S. Strategic Dialogue will include security and defence issues, as the two countries’ close cooperation within NATO has now been upgraded through the updated Defence Agreement, and both sides are expected to underline their excellent operational cooperation. Issues of tackling terrorism, cyber security, tackling cross-border crime will also be discussed.
Energy issues, and in particular energy security, will be of particular importance as Greece takes on an increasingly critical role as a ‘crossroads’ of energy routes to the wider region of Southeast Europe. Development of the South Corridor, the TAP, the IGB, the LNG terminal at Revithoussa, the planned floating storage and re-gasification plant in Alexandroupolis (FSRU), and the EastMed pipeline, the LNG terminal in Alexandroupolis and cooperation with the United States in the field of renewable energy will also be discussed.
Promoting trade, investment, entrepreneurship and innovation through closer cooperation between the two countries will also be at the centre of the talks, as Greece has already established a positive potential for investment opportunities and support for corresponding U.S. moves. Restarting the Greek economy has already created new prospects for bilateral co-operation and bringing new investment to Greece, which is gradually appearing on the “radar” of American investors once again, as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. In addition, innovation in the field of digital technologies, the promotion of startups and audiovisual productions are areas with considerable potential for further cooperation.
Source: ANA-MPA
