American and Greek Officials Discuss the Extension of American Military Presence in Greece

According to the American newspaper Wall Street Journal, the Greek authorities have started discussions with the American Pentagon regarding the issue of the extension of the American military presence in Greece.
According to officials in the US, Greece is ready to give permission for American military operations on Greek soil and the expansion of its facilities both for the Navy and the Air Force.
The American officials also added that there are political and geostrategic reasons why Greece is becoming more and more important for the United States, as the two countries have excellent relations and they both worry about the future of their NATO ally, Turkey.
The article mentions that Greece’s position is ideal for the training of the American troops and pilots, while the political leadership of the ruling government as well as the opposition both support the American presence in the region.

The topics still have to be discussed under the spectrum of NATO’s broader strategy. The Alliance’s Commander for Europe Curtis Scaparotti, who is taking part in these discussions is not in favor of a permanent deploy of American forces and equipment as this is not part of the current strategy of NATO for the region.
At the same time, the Americans try to preserve a balance regarding Turkey as they point out that all these developments do not intent to put at risk the significance of NATO’s air base of Incirlik in Turkey’s Adana region.