The US State Department on Wednesday announced that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be in Athens on Feb. 20 and 21, with his itinerary including meetings with his counterpart as well as with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
He will be present, along with Greek FM Nikos Dendias, for the launch of the fourth round of the US-Greece strategic dialogue during the second day of the visit. A meeting with former premier and main opposition leader Alexis Tsipras was also announced.
The US side said defense cooperation, energy security and “our shared commitment to defend democracy” are on the agenda.
Blinken will arrive in Greece from Turkey, where he’s scheduled to tour quake-devastated areas in that country’s southeast, as well as subsequent high-level talks in Ankara.
According to the State Department, the top US diplomat will “…discuss continued US support to Türkiye and the Turkish people after the devastating earthquakes, as well as ways to further strengthen our partnership with Türkiye as a valued NATO ally. Secretary Blinken will also thank the Government of Türkiye for its support for cross-border aid to affected areas of Syria.”
Secretary Blinken will begin his mini European tour in Germany, where he’ll arrive to attend the Munich security conference.
