Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to the Maximos Mansion in Athens on Wednesday evening, as Greece and the United States move to deepen their strategic partnership.
The meeting followed Rubio’s high-profile appearance at the Pnyx, where the US Secretary of State delivered a major speech overlooking the Acropolis and highlighted the deep historical and cultural ties between Greece and the United States.
Rubio’s visit comes as Athens and Washington seek to further strengthen cooperation on defence, energy, security and regional stability.
Following the private meeting between Mitsotakis and Rubio, the two sides were expected to hold expanded talks involving senior Greek and US officials.
Discussions are set to cover the full breadth of the bilateral relationship, including the further strengthening of the Greece-US strategic partnership, as well as major regional and international developments.
Greek delegation
The Greek delegation taking part in the expanded talks includes Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, Deputy Foreign Minister and Ambassador Alexandra Papadopoulou, and senior diplomatic and strategic advisers to the prime minister.
Also attending are Ambassador Ekaterini Nasika, Director of the Prime Minister’s Diplomatic Office, Ambassador Loukas Karatsolis of the Foreign Ministry’s A7 Directorate, Greece’s Ambassador to the United States Antonios Alexandrides, and Aristotelia Peloni, Director of the Prime Minister’s Office of International Strategic Planning and Communication.
The Maximos Mansion meeting came shortly after Rubio addressed the Pnyx, one of the most historic sites of ancient Athens.
Standing beneath the Acropolis, Rubio spoke about the enduring influence of ancient Greece on the United States and its democratic institutions, linking the foundations of Western political thought with the modern American republic.
His visit places the Greece-US relationship firmly in the spotlight at a time when Athens is seeking an increasingly prominent role in the security, energy and geopolitical architecture of the Eastern Mediterranean.
