The US would never allow a clash between Greece and Turkey, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was visiting Athens, said in an interview with the Greek newspaper "Kathimerini", BTA reported.
Rubio arrived in Greece on October 6 and yesterday met with Prime Minister Kirikakos Mitsotakis, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and attended, together with Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the mutual recognition of sailors' qualification certificates.
Before his meeting with Mitsotakis, the US Secretary of State gave a speech on the historic Pnyx Hill, where he defined Greece as an “example of an ally“ and stated that Europe should follow its example.
In front of "Kathimerini" Rubio defines a possible Greek-Turkish clash as "incomprehensible" and states that the US will work "behind the scenes" to prevent a possible crisis around the project to build an electrical interconnector between Greece and Cyprus, known as the GSI (Great Sea Interconnector – "Great Sea Interconnector"). According to him, Washington will emphasize to "all parties how important this project is".
Regarding the green light that Ankara wants to receive the F-35 fighters, the Secretary of State stated that President Donald Trump would really like Ankara to receive the fighters that it has paid for.
Among the main topics discussed at the meetings in Athens was the intention of the Greek government to buy advanced missiles for its own F-35s, similar to those acquired by Israel. The Secretary of State noted that the issue is being checked by the competent American services, and the final decision will be made by Donald Trump.
In the interview, Rubio emphasizes that the ties between Washington and Athens are deep and long-standing.
According to him, the situation surrounding the war between Russia and Ukraine and everything that is happening in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea region shows that energy supply routes need to be diversified. "We need diversity in supply chains", Rubio said, adding that the topic is a priority for the United States and is an example of how American and Greek interests overlap.
"Washington views defense cooperation between Greece and Israel positively," the US Secretary of State also said. Rubio noted that Washington maintains relations with all countries in the Middle East region and believes that Greece is trying to take a similar position.
With regard to Iran, the US Secretary of State defined the ultimate goal of Washington's actions as preventing the country from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Regarding the situation with the war in Ukraine, Marco Rubio noted that there is a "strategic impasse" that hides dangers. According to him, such a strategic impasse has two ways out – either through negotiations or with an escalation by one of the two sides that "goes beyond the initial conflict". According to him, at this stage there does not seem to be any prospects for a negotiated settlement of the issue, but he states Washington's readiness to play whatever role is necessary to achieve success (in the negotiations). He recalls that Washington has taken similar actions in the past, but so far the goal has not been achieved, since Russia sets as a condition full control over Donetsk, which is rejected as unacceptable by Ukraine. "We continue to be ready to play a constructive role in achieving a diplomatic solution and in parallel we observe with great concern the possibility of an escalation of tensions", Rubio said in the interview with "Kathimerini".
The Secretary of State also mentioned Tuesday's attacks on ships in the Black Sea, which he called "a coordinated attack with drones". "We are concerned about the possibility of sabotage in a neighboring country that could get out of hand", the secretary of state said. He pointed out that there is clear evidence that Russia plans to use the winter period to destroy what is left of Ukraine's power transmission system and force it to surrender. At the same time, Rubio said, Kiev has increased its capabilities to deliver long-range strikes deep into Russian territory. The secretary of state expressed concern about the potential for "escalation of the conflict in a way that could affect other countries and potentially escalate into a larger confrontation (...) If there is a chance for a negotiated settlement of the conflict, we sincerely believe that this would be beneficial for both Russia and Ukraine".
The topic of Rubio's visit to Greece is leading the Greek media. According to "Ephimerida ton syndacton" Greece has paid dearly for the Secretary of State's visit, referring to the signed defense agreements worth $4 billion. According to the information, the contracts include weapons for the new F-16 Viper and F-35 fighters and the modernization of 38 F-16s into Viper, writes the "Proto tema". The Greek side's request for the transfer of "Stryker" combat vehicles has also been satisfied. According to the publication, much of the conversation focused on the energy sector and the Vertical Corridor project, which is turning Greece into an important transit center for energy supplies to the Balkans and Eastern Europe and an entrance for American liquefied gas. "Naftemboriki" writes about deepening energy and economic cooperation between the two countries, and there is also a topic about agreements on military equipment.
According to information from the "Ta Nea" newspaper, among the topics discussed yesterday were terrorism, the problem of illegal migration, and the exchange of information between the two countries.