U.S. and Greece renew the long-standing bilateral defense cooperation
The United States and Greece signed an agreement on October 14, renewing the long-standing bilateral defense cooperation, a move Secretary of State Antony Blinken said would allow the NATO allies to advance security in the Eastern Mediterranean region and beyond.
Greece and the United States signed a five-year extension of the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement, which has been renewed each year since 1990, with an understanding it will remain in force indefinitely afterward unless either country gives a two-year notice.
“This update will allow the agreement to remain in force indefinitely, and it enables U.S. forces in Greece to train and operate from additional locations,” Blinken said during the signing ceremony alongside his Greek counterpart.
The agreement will also allow a greater U.S. troop presence in sites including Alexandroupolis – a port near the Turkish border – as well as the key U.S. hub of Souda Bay in Crete, Greece.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement, “Today’s amendment extends the MDCA’s validity, making it consistent with other bilateral defense cooperation agreements between NATO Allies and durable enough to allow for Greece and the United States to advance security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and beyond.”
“Greece has been a pillar of stability in the region and an advocate for democracy, for European integration, and robust transatlantic ties, all of which make us stronger”, Secretary of State Antony Blinken added.
Secretary Blinken also termed the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement as the foundation of other defense cooperation between the United States and Greece.
On October 14, the Department of State also issued a statement highlighting the key areas of cooperation between two countries, focusing on defense, trade and investment, climate, law enforcement and counterterrorism, and people-to-people ties.
The U.S. Embassy in Athens posted on its twitter account that “Greece is an indispensable partner of the United States. Together we’re taking this relationship to greater heights, advancing shared goals for peace & stability.”
The U.S. State Department announced that “the two governments expressed the joint desire to assist each other in maintaining strong and capable militaries and increase their modernization and interoperability”.
The statement also highlighted some of Greece’s recent upgrades of F-16 jets and Sikorsky helicopters, stressing that the U.S. welcomed the Greece government’s interest to join the F-35 fighter jet program in the future.
Although President Biden’s administration is increasingly concerned about China and has shifted focus on Asia and Indo-Pacific region, the agreement signed in Washington marks a deepening of the relations with the United States’ longstanding European ally, Greece.
Earlier in September, the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduced new legislation to strengthen the U.S. defense partnership with Greece. The bipartisan legislation, the U.S.-Greece Defense and Interparliamentary Partnership Act of 2021, focuses on authorizing new transfers of the U.S. defense equipment to Greece and supporting the overall modernization of the country’s military forces.
