OPINION
 | Tom EllisEditor-in-Chief, Kathimerini English Edition |
[Reuters]US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is paying his first visit to Athens as America’s top diplomat this week, with defense and energy cooperation topping the agenda.
On Wednesday he will participate in the sixth round of the US – Greece Strategic Dialogue, have bilateral meeting with his Greek counterpart George Gerapetritis, and be received by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Weapons procurement and the participation of US energy companies in exploration projects in Greece will be among the issues discussed in the context of the deepening bilateral relationship.
Greece, one of the NATO members with the highest defense spending as percentage of its GDP, has acted as a reliable ally and partner in the volatile region of the East Med, as well as a pilar of stability in the Southeast Europe, and perceives its strategic relationship with the US as enhancing its role in the whole region.
Rubio arrives in Athens in a delicate period in Greek-Turkish relations. The planned resumption of seabed surveys for the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection project, and Greece’s close relationship with Israel, have given rise to tensions with Ankara.
Given the situation, and President Trump’s worrisome affection for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Athens looks at Rubio as someone who knows the area and the issues better than most in this Administration, and can act as a force of reason and, thus, regional stability.
As coauthor of the US-Greece Defense and Interparliamentary Partnership Act along with then chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, Robert Menendez, Rubio is familiar with the situation in the region and could use his influence in a positive way.
The fact that along with being Secretary of State, Rubio is also National Security Advisor, the first person to hold both positions since Henry Kissinger, is indicative of his influence in shaping US foreign policy and adds additional weight to his role, hence his visit has increased geopolitical significance.
Negotiations will focus on the weapons package for the F-35 fighter jets Greece has acquired and will integrate in its air combat fleet by the end of the decade, including approval for specific air-to-air missiles, and systems previously not released by the US. At the same time Greece wants access to surplus defense material through the Pentagon’s Excess Defense Articles program.
Other than Athens, where he is expected to stay for two nights, Rubio’s European tour includes stops at Reykjavík and Lisbon.
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