Kimberly Guilfoyle, who accompanied the government officials of her country, said she was excited again
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had a meeting with the Minister of the Interior of the USA Doug Bergham and the US Minister of Energy Chris Wright, in the context of which the strategic nature of Greek-American relations and the Greek-US energy cooperation was confirmed, in view of the 6th Ministerial Meeting of the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation (P-TEC) which takes place in Athens on November 6 and 7. In addition, the mutual will to strengthen this cooperation and its importance for the energy security of Central and Eastern Europe was underlined.
The prime minister referred to Greece’s crucial role in the utilization and development of the Vertical Corridor, as well as the infrastructure it has developed, such as the LNG terminals of Revythoussa and Alexandroupoli, which turn it into a liquefied natural gas transport hub and an energy gateway to Moldova and Ukraine.
O Kyriakos Mitsotakis he underlined the strategic importance of Greek shipping for the transport of LNG, while he characterized the simultaneous presence of ExxonMobil and Chevron in Greece as an American vote of confidence.
On the American side, the meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Rigas, Deputy Secretary of State Jacob Helberg, the United States Ambassador to Athens Kimberly Guilfoyle, as well as top executives of the American state financial institutions Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and Export-Import Bank (EXIM).
From the Greek side, the Minister of Environment and Energy Stavros Papastavrou, the Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy Nikos Tsafos, the First Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Andreas Fryganas, the Director of the Diplomatic Office of the Prime Minister Ambassador Milton Nicolaidis, the Director of the Economic Office of the Prime Minister Michalis Argyros and the Director of Office of International Strategic Planning and Communication of the Prime Minister Aristotelia Pelonis, it was pointed out in APE BEE.
At the beginning of the meeting the Prime Minister stated: “Welcome. It’s our pleasure to have you here. Madam Ambassador, she has been very busy, as I’m sure you know, since her arrival. But it is a great opportunity that you are visiting us, in the context of this extremely important conference that is taking place in Greece.
It is not often that so many representatives of the American government come to Greece at the same time. I believe this demonstrates the strength of our strategic partnership, but also the special importance we attach to the energy cooperation we are currently building.
I believe that the prospects for future cooperation are enormous. Greece is fortunate to be in a unique geographical location and is the natural gateway for American liquefied natural gas to Europe. The Vertical Corridor is a project of great geopolitical and economic importance for us and we are happy that it is becoming a reality. We look forward to further expanding our cooperation, with the fundamental principles we share.
It is also very encouraging that American oil and gas companies already have a presence in Greece. I understand that tomorrow important announcements will be made so that, after many decades, the first exploratory drilling will soon take place in Greece.
So we have a rich agenda and I am glad that, since our last meeting Mr. Minister, we have made significant progress in promoting a project that I believe is of great strategic interest to both Greece and the United States.
I will stop here and once again welcome the Ambassador and your entire delegation to our office.”
US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle said: “Thank you very much. Mr. Prime Minister, I must say that I really enjoy having two meetings a day with you. It is wonderful to be with you this morning and again tonight, with all my esteemed colleagues and our counterparts from the Greek side.
But this is a historical occasion. I feel very honored to be here right now for the sixth annual P-TEC conference. I am excited and happy that it is taking place in Athens, with the eyes of the world focused here. As I mentioned to you this morning, this is a historic moment as more than 80 US government officials have arrived in Athens for this very important conference to highlight the strength of the bilateral relationship between the United States and Greece.
Greece has always been a stable ally of the United States, a strategic ally, from a geopolitical point of view, in the region. You are right, this will be historic, we have announcements to make that will be important for regional stability in LNG, with Greece being the energy hub for the entire length of the Vertical Corridor, among other announcements.
And thank you for working in such a strategic and steady way – all your counterparts, your ministers – to make this a reality. I thank my colleagues for being here, Secretary of the Interior Bergum, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Deputy Secretary of State Mike Rigas, Under Secretary for Energy Sovereignty Jacob Helberg. We have Conor Coleman here from the Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and many others who are keen to close deals this week, within two days.”
US Secretary of the Interior Doug Bergham noted: “Mr Prime Minister, it is great to be here again with you and your staff. It is particularly pleasing to be here again now that we have our fantastic Ambassador, Ms Guilfoyle, officially on duty. What a great team from the USA is here. I believe this reflects the strength and importance of the long-standing relationship between our two countries, which is only getting stronger.
Just six months ago, the minister Mr. Papastavrou contacted me and we started the dialogue on various issues. And now, as you say, we are here with the Vertical Corridor, the ongoing dialogue, the 3+1 initiative, announcements and the concrete agreements that can be reached. But all of this reflects the moment we are in time and history, which is that energy has never been more important than it is today.
Energy diplomacy is one of the tools President Trump has used to bring peace to the world. I believe, and you understand, that energy abundance is one of the elements that will bring prosperity to your people, but it is also one of the elements that will help us end the conflict in Eastern Europe. So when Kimberly says “historic,” there’s nothing less than peace and prosperity going on here.
Again, we are grateful for your leadership. Thank you for inviting us all back here as we move this relationship forward.”
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said: “Mr. Prime Minister, I am honored to be here. Our two great countries have a long history of corporate cooperation and alliance in various fields. Energy is life, and a lack of affordable energy, delivered reliably and safely, limits opportunity, causes poverty, and is not what we want. Greece is a leading trading country, it has a leading role in trade with the rest of Europe and I believe it will also have a leading role in the field of artificial intelligence. We are excited to discuss so many collaborations here, in energy, artificial intelligence, shipping and many other areas of cooperation.
One final note on shipping: I want to thank you for your bold leadership on the International Maritime Organization issue, where there was a huge bureaucracy that wanted to make shipping more expensive and impose a global carbon tax. The United States has strongly opposed this, and I appreciate your leadership here in Europe so that we can keep shipping free and affordable.”
US Deputy Secretary of State Michael Rigas said: “Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. Again, very nice to see you again. We met last week at the Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai. I also want to thank you for your unwavering support for religious freedom, both here and in Egypt. I also want to thank you for the work we are doing on a bilateral level between our two countries. I know that there are several agreements underway to strengthen bilateral relations between Greece and the US and how we can strengthen cooperation between our diplomats. We look forward to continuing, expanding, deepening and strengthening the long-standing relations between the Hellenic Republic and the United States. Again, thank you.”