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Less than two years have passed since the last time Kyriakos Mitsotakis crossed the doors of the White House to meet with American President Biden. Back in May 2022, Joe Biden welcomed the Prime Minister with a tie adorned with Greek flags. Two years later, things are different: Mr. Mitsotakis has recently won the national elections again and is facing the European elections ahead, while Mr. Biden is gearing up for the presidential elections in November, where he will face a tough battle against Donald Trump.
This time, it seems that the anniversary of the Greek Revolution is the occasion for Mr. Mitsotakis to attend the White House. American Ambassador George Tsounis “revealed” yesterday the plan for a visit on April 4th, with the government reiterating that it has not officially received an invitation. However, according to information from protothema.gr, Mr. Tsounis…didn’t lie, while there is also discussion of the scenario for the meeting of the two men to take place on April 3rd, given that on the 5th of the month, Mr. Mitsotakis should be in Athens anyway, where the New Democracy conference begins at the Zappeion with high-profile guests from abroad.
Soon, however, the “when” of the visit will be finalized, while for April 4th, the event with the Diaspora for the celebration of March 25th is scheduled, which takes place annually in honor of the Greek Revolution. Mr. Mitsotakis, however, made it clear that he would go to Washington if there was an invitation from Mr. Biden for a bilateral meeting. “If we receive an invitation, we will respond,” said Mr. Mitsotakis to journalists at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation yesterday, responding to a question about whether the fact that the Americans have elections in November is troubling the Greek side regarding timing. “One thing is for sure, I will be here for the ND conference”, added Mr. Mitsotakis humorously, who did not confirm any date, nor did he deny the relevant information and of course what was publicly stated by Mr. Tsounis.
The agenda
A meeting between Mitsotakis and Biden, of course, requires careful preparation on the agenda. In any case, the Greek-American relations, which are at a historic high, will be discussed, while it remains to be seen what the exact content of this discussion will be. Greek-Turkish relations will be on the table, given the Mitsotakis-Erdogan meeting immediately after Easter, and developments in Ukraine and the Middle East will also be discussed, with Greece actively involved in the Red Sea theater with the frigate HS HYDRA.
The timing of the meeting, of course, is interesting. President Biden, facing elections, desires active support from the Greek community. Mr. Mitsotakis, who also faces elections, seeks active engagement from the diaspora through the voting process. And overall, Athens is monitoring developments in Washington, given that the return of Trump to the American presidency cannot be ruled out next year.
In Egypt on Sunday
Until then, however, there is sufficient time, and Mr. Mitsotakis has ahead of him an important trip to Egypt on Sunday, where he will have the opportunity to discuss privately with President Al-Sisi. Mr. Mitsotakis will be in Cairo with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU President of the Council Alexander De Croo of Belgium, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. For Europeans, the support of the Egyptian economy is extremely critical, as it is dangerously fluctuating, with the latest episode being the attacks by the Houthis, which have severely restricted ship passages through the Suez Canal. Therefore, Europeans are putting on the table a €7.4 billion package, combined with the assistance Egypt will receive from the IMF. However, according to information, more active cooperation from Egypt on migration is also requested, given that flows to Europe through North Africa are starting to multiply.
