Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met US Vice President Mike Pence in the White House on Wednesday.
After the meeting, Mr. Tsipras wrote on Twitter: “We decided with Vice President Mike Pence to intensify the dialogue between Greece and the US on regional developments”.
“The US recognizes our upgraded geopolitical position and the need for support in the next period, diplomatically, financially and on defence”, added Tsipras, in a second “tweet” on the meeting of the two men.
For his part, the US Vice-President gave his congratulations to the Prime Minister for Greece’s return to growth and markets – as he says in a statement.
It is clear from the announcement the US effort to support the Greek Prime Minister, who agreed yesterday with President Donald Trump to strengthen the co-operation and the ties between the two countries.
Mr Pence told Mr Tsipras that the reforms must go ahead because only this would boost investments and help the US support a Greek debt relief.
It is important to stress that the Prime Minister gave Mr Pence a dossier on Turkey’s violations of national airspace from 2013 onwards.
The US Vice-President made special mention of the geopolitical relations that Greece is developing with Egypt, Israel and Cyprus and called for this cooperation to continue.
The announcement by the Vice-President’s office reads as follows:
“Vice President Mike Pence hosted Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras for a meeting at the White House today.
The leaders highlighted the strong and enduring ties between the United States and Greece.
The Vice President congratulated Prime Minister Tsipras on Greece’s return to economic growth and financial markets, encouraged further reforms to spur investment, and reiterated U.S. support for credible debt relief.
The leaders expressed their desire to deepen cooperation in the economic and security spheres, including the visit of a high-level delegation to the 2018 Thessaloniki International Fair, where the United States will be the honored country.
The Vice President expressed appreciation for Greece’s role as a pillar of stability in the region, and the leaders reaffirmed their support for the Euro-Atlantic integration of Turkey and the countries of the Western Balkans.
The Vice President underscored continued U.S. support for a comprehensive settlement to reunify Cyprus as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation and welcomed Greece’s increasing cooperation with Israel, Cyprus, and Egypt in the eastern Mediterranean”.
«Non paper» for Turkey
The Greek delegation, under Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, is making a special and continuous effort to highlight Turkey’s negative role, which continues its daily threats against Greece and Cyprus.
This effort came as a surprise to diplomatic circles, as Greece, at diplomatic level, “is coming out aggressively,” as it was emphasized.
In his meeting with Mr. Pence, the Greek Prime Minister handed a non-paper with specific data on Turkey’s violations in the Aegean.
The US seem to be worried about Turkey and its prospects. The meeting highlighted these concerns that include the domestic developments, as well as its geopolitical choices.
During the debate, it has leaked that they said that “Greece’s geopolitical position is becoming increasingly important”.
With regard to Skopje (FYROM), there has been talk of ways that could help advance FYROM’s accession to NATO. According to a source, “it was pointed out that the US can play an important role, so that the FYROM side will take the necessary steps to resolve the name issue”.
The source argued that “we were not have any surprises (regarding Skopje). We did not get into details, but it is clear that they consider it an important issue. But there was no pressure on the Greek side”.
