Greece’s Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, met with a cross-party delegation of the United States House of Representatives at Maximos Palace in Athens earlier this morning.
The delegation was led by the US Chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs, Adam Smith, in the presence of the Ambassador to Greece, George Tsunis.
During the meeting, Mitsotakis informed his interlocutors about “the extreme and escalating aggressive rhetoric of the Turkish side, as well as the questioning of Greek sovereignty, which is unacceptable,” the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement.
“He also emphasised that our country is not going to accept a violation of its sovereignty or sovereign rights,” the statement continued.
Με χαρά υποδέχθηκα τη διακομματική αντιπροσωπεία της Βουλής των Αντιπροσώπων των ΗΠΑ, με επικεφαλής τον Πρόεδρο της Επιτροπής Στρατιωτικών Υποθέσεων Adam Smith. Οι ελληνοαμερικανικές σχέσεις βρίσκονται σε εξαιρετικό επίπεδο σε όλους τους τομείς. https://t.co/mwyZb00ISR pic.twitter.com/blWkWXXVcq
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) October 4, 2022
The Prime Minister reiterated that Greece is firmly in favour of understanding and dialogue based on International Law and the Law of the Sea.
Pointing to Greek-American relations more generally, Mitsotakis described them as “excellent,” highlighting the progress made in terms of military cooperation between the two countries, based on the second Amendment Protocol to the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement (MDCA).
He also emphasised the role of Greece as a pillar of stability, peace and security in the wider region.
In addition to being a gateway for the influx of energy into Europe, Mitsotakis said that Greece is also becoming a data management and storage hub with investments by companies such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google.
The meeting has been seemingly met with disapproval by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who, according to reports by Ekathimerini, said: “The Prime Minister of Greece asks for help from the United States. He is asking for help against who? Against Turkey,”
“Whatever you do, we will always do what we must, and we are ready to do it. Turkey is a country that stands out for its economy, its defence, its military capabilities, as well as its position on humanitarian crises,” Erdogan added.
