A Greek peace organisation based in Chania has publicly declared U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio "unwelcome" in Gree...

A Greek peace organisation based in Chania has publicly declared U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio "unwelcome" in Greece, calling for mass protests ahead of his scheduled visit to Athens for the sixth U.S.-Greece Strategic Dialogue. The statement was released on September 28, days before Rubio's October 5-8 European tour, which also includes stops in Iceland and Portugal. The Chania Peace Committee argues that Greece is being drawn deeper into U.S. and NATO military operations, pointing specifically to the Souda Bay naval facilities in Crete as a prime example of what it calls foreign military entrenchment on Greek soil. The group accuses Washington of fuelling instability internationally and condemns U.S. policy toward Venezuela, Cuba, and its support for Israel. It is demanding the closure of all U.S. and NATO military installations in the country. The committee is also pushing for Greece to cut its military and economic ties with Israel entirely, withdraw Greek forces from overseas deployments, and block Greek territory, airspace, and waters from being used to support foreign military operations. It has called on trade unions, student groups, and civic organisations to mobilise against the visit and back a national signature campaign organised by the Greek Committee for International Detente and Peace. The Greek government sees things very differently. Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis has described the U.S.-Greece relationship as being at a particularly high level, and the upcoming Strategic Dialogue is expected to cover defence cooperation, energy, and regional security under the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement. Rubio's Athens talks are set to proceed as planned, with no indication from either Washington or the Greek government that the protests will affect the agenda. #Greece #USGreece #MarcoRubio