At the conferenceGreece Talks» his Travel.gr and of the First Subject, the United States Ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoylespoke to the journalist George Eugenides and referred extensively to Greece-US cooperation, the common strategic goals and the prospects that are opening up for the next period. In her opening statement she spoke of “familiar figures and old friends”, noting that she enjoyed his speech Kyriakou Mitsotakis. “We are not only allies,” he emphasized, “it is worth defending freedom. A strong US-Greece relationship is good not only for the two countries, but also for the world. And my goal as an ambassador is to promote that,” he said, speaking of substantial results.
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Ms Guilfoyle referred to areas such as shipyards, supply systems, critical infrastructure and shared values.
“Our cooperation is not limited. It is the bonds of people that make the alliance unbreakable. We have millions of Americans and Greeks who travel and support our culture. Because at the heart of our alliance is the shared belief that Democracy is not an idea of the past but the engine of our collective future,” she noted, while concluding her introduction by saying: “We have many things to do, to work with unity and purpose.”
Asked about her transition to her new position, the American ambassador described her first days in Greece: “It was a remarkable trip. From the moment I arrived in Athens and within a few hours i went and watched the marines dance… Because I’m busy – I work 17 hours a day – it’s taken a lot of work to get here.” She also mentioned that she had studied Greek history during her younger years with Professor Spyridakis and added that she considers Greece “even better than New York” because it is “very welcoming, very alive”. Regarding her energy agendaMs Guilfoyle said: “I have a broad agenda.” He announced a visit to Thessaloniki in December and mentioned Souda and Alexandroupolis: “I’m excited to go there… It’s a big commitment for me to start working on energy. And we should also look at the infrastructure.” She also emphasized that she wishes to bring “something important” to the Greek people who have warmly welcomed her.
For the progress of Greek-American agreements he said: “We are getting results. They are not symbolic agreements. We focus on the issues that are important for Greece to gain energy dominance and for bilateral relations to exist. So I’d say fasten your seat belts because now we’re taking off.”
In a question about her COSCO κai the port of Piraeus, replied that during the period of the Chinese investment Greece was facing financial difficulties, adding: “I am considering new opportunities to cooperate for the port of Piraeus further. Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean is very important and I have his support Stavros Papastavrou. We have been preparing some things for ten months. There are issues, commitments, American companies.” He emphasized that “Greece is one of the most important allies of the USA”, while he called again: “connect”, referring to the upcoming agreements and partnerships.
For the scheme 3+1 he emphasized: “It wasn’t something we did once. It will be there next quarter, and next year. And I’m very interested, it’s important. And it sends a message to the rest of the world where the country is focusing its energy.” He pointed out that there are active “energy, trade, defense” projects, while declaring: “We are very excited about the cooperation with the Greek shipowners, shipowners.” He even announced new announcements, noting: “We want to be partners, to build, to build boats and there will be cooperation in training, education.”
Ms. Guilfoyle also spoke about the importance of personal relationships in shipping: “I want people to get in touch with the right people… I asked shipwright families how we can make things better.” She also referred to an incident of an attack on a friend’s ship, saying: “When I pick up the phone I want something to happen. Personal relationships are important for collaboration.”
For her Greece-US defense cooperation he said: “It is an honor to help in the education, training of the Armed Forces and this allows a deeper importance Greece and the US for regional stability”, referring to the cooperation with the US National Guard.
Speaking about the possibility of a visit by top American officials, he underlined: “I’m here, I don’t know how to explain it to you better… The minister will come Rubiowe will have many visits and contacts. There will be a strong demonstration of relations in Greece… The sky is the limit.” He added: “We would love to have President Trump come here.”
On a lighter note, the ambassador mentioned that she likes Greek cuisine and that the embassy has an “excellent chef,” but “on Tuesday we made tacos.” Asked about Greek words she knows, he answered that at a basketball game she heard “some bad words”, explaining that they were translating what the fans were saying to her. He added that he knows words like “good morning” and “good evening” and that he wants to participate more deeply in the Greek cultural experience.
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