U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Greece short after 17:30 on Monday, for a two-day official visit to Athens.
With a post on Twitter, Blinken hailed his “first visit to the birthplace of democracy.
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
Blinken, who arrived from Ankara, was received by the U.S. Ambassador to Athens, George Tsounis.
Blinken is scheduled to meet with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at 19:30 on Monday. They are expected to focus on cooperation in the field of defense and energy security, as well as the mutual commitment of the US and Greece to the defense of democracy.
First on the agenda of Blinken-Mitsotakis was Ukraine, state broadcaster ERT reports.
On Tuesday, the US secretary of state will have a bilateral meeting with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias. The two ministers will launch the 4th round of US-Greece Strategic Dialogue, a meeting to be followed by joint statements scheduled at 10:30 a.m..
It is recalled that the 3rd round of the Greece-US Strategic Dialogue took place in Washington in October 2021.
The areas of cooperation covered by the Strategic Dialogue are: Regional Issues, Defense and Security, Law Enforcement and Counter-Terrorism, Humanitarian Challenges and Disaster Preparedness, Trade and Investment, Energy and Environment, and the ties between the two countries.
The talks in the framework of bilateral relations are expected to focus on ways to further strengthen strategic bilateral relations, in all sectors as well as regional and international developments.
Antony Blinken will also meet on Tuesday with the leader of main opposition left-wing SYRIZA,, Alexis Tsipras.
