The Greek Minister of National Defence, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, and the American Ambassador to Greece, Geoffrey Pyatt, arrived in Alexandroupolis on Thursday morning to attend the one-and-a-half-century anniversary celebration of the port’s inauguration, after the arrival of the railway in 1871.

Delighted to return to #Alexandroupoli. This is my fifth visit, more than any other U.S. Ambassador to Greece, which underlines this city’s strategic role as a regional energy, transportation, and commercial hub vital to European stability and security. pic.twitter.com/STWbt96vFk

— Geoffrey Pyatt (@USAmbPyatt) July 23, 2020

The event coincides with the support of the allied exercise “Atlantic Resolve 2020” as well as the preparations for the use of the railway for the first time in its modern history.

@USArmy Soldiers and civilians from the @101st, @21stTSC, and 598th Transportation Brigade offload @101CAB helicopters from the @ARCships Endurance at the Port of Alexandroupoli, Greece ISO of @NATO‘s #atlanticresolve mission. #Togetherwedeliver @USArmyEurope @US_EUCOM pic.twitter.com/PIYwtLSRFP

— USTRANSCOM (@US_TRANSCOM) July 22, 2020

The large American transport Endurance Vehicle Carrier has been in Alexandroupolis since yesterday, transporting 2,000 marines, more than 1,800 vehicles, four Chinook helicopters, 25 Apache helicopters, and 50 Black Hawk helicopters to the city.

@USArmy Soldiers and civilians from the @101st, @21stTSC, and 598th Transportation Brigade offload @101CAB helicopters from the @ARCships Endurance at the Port of Alexandroupoli, Greece ISO of @NATO‘s #atlanticresolve mission. #Togetherwedeliver @USArmyEurope @US_EUCOM pic.twitter.com/PIYwtLSRFP

— USTRANSCOM (@US_TRANSCOM) July 22, 2020