The visit of the Greek Prime Minister to the White House on May 16 comes at a very important time not only for Greece, but also for the whole of Europe.
The final confirmation from the White House that came with yesterday’s phone call of Kyriakos Mitsotakis with US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, “unlocked” the Prime Minister’s trip to Washington for the 16th of May, in order to meet with US President Joe Biden.
After intense processes, due to the situation that has developed with the coronavirus, but also the war in Ukraine that changed the priorities, Mr. Mitsotakis will make the second trip during his tenure in Washington, as it is recalled that he had met and with Donald Trump.
In any case, the trip is a seal of the Greek-American cooperation which at this stage is at its historically highest point.
With the preparation of all the previous years, Greece is now considered one of the most “reliable” US allies, even in a region with turmoil, through the active involvement of Greece in NATO, with the application of sanctions against Ukraine, but also sending defense equipment to Kyiv, sent the right messages to the other side of the Atlantic.
Greece is a factor of stability in the wider region
In addition to President Biden, the prime minister will have the opportunity to meet and talk with other US government officials. He will also speak with think tanks, while having contacts with the Greek-American community.
At this critical juncture, the US President’s invitation to the Greek Prime Minister is particularly important and at first reading shows that the US considers Greece a credible factor of stability in the wider region.
The agenda of the meeting
Obviously, everything will be on the agenda, not just the burning issue of the war in Ukraine and the issue of sanctions against Russia.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis will have the opportunity to discuss four issues with the American president, all the issues concerning the Aegean, but also the Turkish revision, the issues of security in NATO, but also the issues of energy adequacy.
It is worth noting that this trip of the Greek Prime Minister has been prepared for many months. Indicative are what Kyriakos Mitsotakis had said in December 2021 in an interview with the Washington Post.
“President Biden is someone who knows our region very well and is very close to the Greek-American community,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at the time.
The US senators, who have been on the side of Greece for years together with the Greek community in the USA, obviously also contributed to the preparation.
The background of the meeting
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement that Mitsotakis’s visit to the United States was “an opportunity to reaffirm the strong bilateral relationship between the two countries.”
The announcement of the White House is more than warm and states, among other things, that “President Biden is looking forward to receiving the Prime Minister of Greece.”
At the same time, the reference made by Mrs. Psaki to the 201 years of Greek independence is of great importance.
