U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Athens Tuesday night for the 6th Round of the U.S.-Greece Strategic Dialo...

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Athens Tuesday night for the 6th Round of the U.S.-Greece Strategic Dialogue, the most substantive bilateral meeting between the two countries since the last round in Washington in February 2024. Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis met Rubio personally at Eleftherios Venizelos Airport, and the two departed together in a 32-vehicle convoy to The Ilisian hotel. The agenda is packed. Wednesday morning, Rubio and Gerapetritis will hold a joint press conference at the Greek Foreign Ministry before formally opening the Strategic Dialogue session. At 6 p.m., Rubio will deliver a speech at the Pnyx, the ancient hill where Athenian democracy was born, before heading to the Maximos Mansion for a 7 p.m. meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and an official dinner. Defense cooperation, regional security, and energy security top the list of priorities, according to a State Department statement. Before departing Joint Base Andrews, Rubio noted that the U.S. has not only a strong military presence in Greece but also deep economic ties. Several agreements are expected to be signed during the visit. Greece and the U.S. will renew their Memorandum of Cooperation on import restrictions for archaeological and ethnological material predating the 15th century. They will also sign a Memorandum of Understanding on mutual recognition of Seafarers' Certificates of Competency under the STCW 1978 Convention, aimed at strengthening cooperation in maritime training and employment. A Letter of Intent will also be signed to establish cooperation between the Greek Armed Forces and the Florida National Guard. The Strategic Dialogue, which launched in 2018, will cover regional issues, people-to-people ties, energy, technology, trade, and defense across its full-day session. Separately, a protest march toward the U.S. Embassy in Athens took place Tuesday evening in parallel with Rubio's arrival. #Greece #USGreece #Rubio