European nations must shoulder greater responsibility for their own collective defense, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday during an official visit to Greece, commending Athens for meeting allied security spending targets.
– “One thing we agree on, for example, is that the nations of Europe need to take on a greater share of the burden in defending their continent, and Greece is doing just that,” Rubio told reporters alongside Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, noting that Athens remains on track to allocate 5% of its gross domestic product to defense.
– Rubio said Athens would also join the US National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, paired with the Florida National Guard, to deepen bilateral military interoperability.
– He unveiled a new memorandum of understanding establishing a joint security initiative to improve intelligence sharing between law enforcement agencies on counterterrorism.
– Rubio also highlighted broader economic and infrastructure cooperation, emphasizing mutual goals to expand US liquefied natural gas shipments and build regional gas and electricity interconnectors. He added that the US State Department, Department of Homeland Security, FBI and Customs and Border Protection are cooperating with Greek authorities to intercept illicit antiquities trafficking networks.
– Asked about frontier super intelligence risks, Rubio said Washington had established an internal process while working closely with international partners to harness the benefits of emerging systems while mitigating potential threats.
– Gerapetritis said the two officials also discussed major international issues, including the continuing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as developments in sub-Saharan Africa.
– The official said Athens and Washington share a common understanding of developments in the Middle East and stressed the need for peace in the region.
– “The 20-point plan should go ahead to phase B in order to ensure viable peace and reconstruction in Gaza,” he said, adding that actions, particularly in the West Bank, that create impediments to this objective should cease.
– He also highlighted defense cooperation between the two countries, pointing to the upgrade of Greece’s F-16 aircraft to the Viper configuration and the planned integration of fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets into the Greek Air Force.
– During the visit, Rubio also attended the opening session of the US-Greece Strategic Dialogue. He is scheduled to deliver an evening address from the Pnyx and meet Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
– The stop in Athens marks the second leg of Rubio’s multi-nation European tour, which began in Iceland and will conclude with an official visit to Portugal before he returns to Washington on Thursday.