Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday announced a new memorandum of understanding that creates a joint security program to strengthen counterterrorism information sharing between American and Greek law enforcement agencies. He made the announcement in Athens, speaking alongside Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, as the two governments held the sixth round of the U.S.-Greece Strategic Dialogue.
Rubio said Greece was especially exposed to mass migration, human trafficking and various forms of terrorism. He presented the new program as part of the two countries' efforts to combat "these common threats to our nations." "What we do not wish to see under any circumstances is that the birthplace of the West is threatened by bad decisions, by inaction, and by failure to address challenges," he said.
Rubio called Greece a "strong and model NATO ally" and a "source of stability in an unstable world." "As you see a world that faces these destabilizing events, you recognize how important this alliance with Greece is to the United States," he said. Greece provides the United States with key military facilities for security in the Eastern Mediterranean and leads a European Union maritime mission that protects commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
Gerapetritis said Greece was willing to cooperate with Washington and provide maritime assistance in the Strait of Hormuz, provided a viable peace process exists there. He said Greece had increasingly become a security provider in the wider region, pointing to its role in the Red Sea.
Rubio and Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias also witnessed the signing of a defense cooperation agreement between the Hellenic Armed Forces and the Florida National Guard. The document was signed by Gen. Demetrios Houpis, chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, and John Haas, commander of the Florida National Guard. The Greek news outlet ProtoThema described it in a preview of the talks as a letter of intent. Dendias said the arrangement would give Greece more opportunities to exchange expertise, hold joint exercises and keep in closer communication.
Rubio said the alliance "continues to be strengthened on multiple levels," in this case through the National Guard, and noted that Florida has extensive experience with hurricanes while Greece has expertise in responding to earthquakes and wildfires. "There is significant room for interoperability and mutual learning," he said.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Rubio said the dialogue had yielded new agreements covering defense cooperation, law enforcement and maritime safety. ProtoThema reported ahead of the session that the talks were also set to produce a renewed memorandum on protecting archaeological and ethnological material and a memorandum on mutual recognition of seafarers' certificates of competency.
Gerapetritis held up the Vertical Corridor as evidence of unprecedented energy cooperation between the two countries and cited the F-35 fighter program as a major element of their defense relationship. The corridor is the route through which Greece is seeking to send larger volumes of American liquefied natural gas toward the Balkans and Eastern Europe. Rubio said Washington had an "absolute commitment" to working with Greece on energy, which he tied to global security.
Rubio also stood by Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, after American senators raised concerns over allegations that she had threatened that the United States could use its influence to undermine the Greek government. Greek opposition parties have pressed for answers since The Wall Street Journal reported that she clashed with Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou at a dinner in Athens in March. Guilfoyle's lawyer disputed the Journal's account of the exchange, and government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said there had been no threat against the Greek government. Asked whether her conduct complied with State Department ethics, Rubio said: "Suffice it to say, our embassy here is doing a great job. Our ambassador has been a strong ambassador here."