Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived in Washington today for talks with US President Joe Biden where the Greek delegation was received by US Ambassador George Tsunis. The PM will address a Joint Meeting of the US Congress on Tuesday following an invitation from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

“Welcome, Prime Minister! The American ambassador to Greece welcomed him in Washington and the Blair House, where the Greek flag is waving. We wish you all the best for a successful visit “, said the American embassy in Greece, uploading on Twitter photos from the reception of Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Washington at the emblematic Blair House.

The Blair House is an impressive building with a history of two centuries, which is located next to the White House and is the official hostel where the guests of the current American President are hosted. The fourth meeting of the Greek Prime Minister with the American President is scheduled for today at 22:30 (Greek time). Afterward, Kyriakos Mitsotakis will attend a reception given in honour of himself and his wife, Marevas Mitsotakis at the White House.

The meeting with Biden comes at a critical geopolitical juncture, with the war in Ukraine in full swing, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again emerging as a factor of instability, with his challenge to the prospect of NATO’s Nordic expansion to include Finland and Sweden.

Mitsotakis arrives in Washington with two important positives: firstly, the fact that Athens took a clear position from the beginning on the Ukrainian crisis; and, secondly, the visit comes on the heels of new five-year defense agreement with the US that was ratified by the Greek Parliament on Thursday.

The scope and duration of the agreement are a clear message of Washington’s willingness to invest geostrategically in Greece.

Another key issue on the agenda is energy and Greece’s potential to become a hub for the transport of LNG transport from the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean to the Balkans and Southeastern Europe.

The Greek delegation, which, in addition to the Prime Minister, consists of Foreign Ministers Nikos Dendias, Defence Nikos Panagiotopoulos, Education Niki Kerameos, and Deputy Foreign Ministers Costas Frangogiannis and government spokesperson Giannis Oikonomou and has low expectations of the visit, and, as government sources point out, the Greek side expects the recognition of the role that Greece plays as a pillar of stability and reliable ally of the United States and the West in general in the region of Southeastern Europe.

High on the agenda of dense programs, are the geopolitical and economic, and other implications of the war in Ukraine, the Greek-Turkish, and energy.