Joint Greece US military exercise in 2021 in northern Greece. Credit: US Embassy AthensThe port of Alexandroupolis in north-eastern Greece will play a vital role in the military presence of the U.S. in the country, foreign minister Nikos Dendias said on Tuesday.
Speaking during a debate in Parliament on the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement (MDCA) signed between Greece and the United States, Dendias described the use of the northern Greek port by the American military as “one of the most important elements of the agreement.”
He said that the key role of the Alexandroupolis port should be an energy hub rather than a commercial port.
“We want the strategic presence of the United States. Yes, we do not want Alexandroupolis’ port to be a commercial one: it is exactly this that bothered [Turkish President Recep] Tayyip Erdogan.
“We see this as the primary consideration for Thrace—the history of the region has changed with the creation of an energy hub. Geopolitically, the crisis in Ukraine affirmed what we are doing,” said Dendias.
