Minister Mendoni highlighted the significant results of joint efforts, noting the 139 archaeological artifacts seized and returned to Greece by U.S. authorities in 2025. Both officials expressed satisfaction with the renewal of the Greece–U.S. Memorandum of Cooperation, which runs until November 2026.
Ambassador Guilfoyle welcomed Mendoni’s proposal to jointly inaugurate next September a major exhibition at the Ancient Agora featuring antiquities returned from the U.S.

During the meeting, Mendoni emphasized that “in this new era of close Greece–U.S. cooperation, culture must hold a significant place in bilateral relations,” discussing specific cultural projects, partnerships, and initiatives. These include collaborations with major U.S. museums such as the Getty, MET, Museum of the Bible, and the National Gallery of Art, as well as plans for an exhibition in the U.S. on ancient Greek democracy, marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, for which Greece intends to loan a symbolic artifact to the U.S. Congress.
Mendoni also briefed Ambassador Guilfoyle on her upcoming visit to the U.S., during which she will attend the inauguration of the new Museum of Ancient Sparta and a Greek-style theater at the University of Connecticut, and meet with cultural leaders from the State Department and members of the Greek diaspora.
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