U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio placed Greece’s growing security and energy role at the center of Washington’s strategy in the Eastern Mediterranean on Wednesday, as Athens hosted the sixth Greece-U.S. Strategic Dialogue and Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis signaled that Greece could provide naval assistance in the Strait of Hormuz if circumstances require it.
Rubio held bilateral talks with Gerapetritis at the Greek Foreign Ministry before the two officials addressed reporters and formally opened the sixth round of the Strategic Dialogue, the main institutional framework for expanding cooperation between Greece and the United States.
Rubio’s visit to Athens, builds on the ministers meeting in Washington earlier this year, when the two officials discussed preparations for the sixth Greece-U.S. Strategic Dialogue and the future of the bilateral relationship.
Against a backdrop of conflicts involving Iran, instability in the Red Sea and the continuing war in Ukraine, Rubio portrayed the alliance with Greece as increasingly important to U.S. interests.
“It is a source of stability in an unstable world,” Rubio said, adding that Washington was thankful that Greece remained “a great ally.”
In his earlier joint remarks with Gerapetritis, Rubio described Greece as an “indispensable NATO ally” and a “pillar of stability” in the region, emphasizing its place in the broader U.S. and NATO security architecture.
Sixth Greece-U.S. Strategic Dialogue opens in Athens
Rubio said the sixth Strategic Dialogue was already underway as he spoke alongside Gerapetritis, describing the process as one through which the two countries commit to continuing cooperation across a broad range of issues.
The Athens talks cover defense and military cooperation, regional security, energy, trade and investment, border security, counterterrorism, emerging technologies and the protection of cultural heritage.
The bilateral relationship has increasingly expanded beyond its traditional defense foundations, a shift highlighted ahead of the visit as Greece-U.S. ties move from defense into energy, technology, shipping and investment.
“We’re not just a great ally. We share a common understanding of the threats that face our countries, that face our societies, and we share a common understanding about the means to address them,” Rubio said.
Gerapetritis said cooperation between Greece and the United States had reached an exceptionally high level, highlighting Greece’s geographic position between Europe, the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
Rubio links Greece’s LNG hub role to national security
Energy emerged as one of the dominant themes of the meeting and Strategic Dialogue, with Rubio emphasizing Greece’s growing importance as an entry and transit point for American liquefied natural gas moving toward Central and Eastern Europe.
The issue has become increasingly important as Greece positions itself as a Southeast European energy hub and Washington seeks additional routes for U.S. LNG to reach European markets.
“In addition to the security cooperation, I would argue that energy security is tied to national security,” Rubio said during the question-and-answer session.
He said recent instability involving Iran and major international shipping routes had reinforced the importance of diversified energy corridors.
“We can never be in a situation where if energy is cut off or energy flows are cut off from one part of the world, the whole world is threatened, and the ability of nation-states to act in their best interest is compromised by the leverage that one country or a rogue regime could have over them,” Rubio said.
The United States intends to expand U.S. LNG flows through Greece while supporting additional gas and electricity interconnections designed to strengthen regional energy security.
A central part of that strategy is the Vertical Corridor, which is intended to carry natural gas northward from Greek terminals through Bulgaria, Romania and toward other Central and Eastern European markets.
Washington has previously praised Greece’s participation in the Vertical Corridor, seeing the project as part of a broader effort to diversify European energy supplies.
The energy relationship has since moved toward further commercial implementation. At a Washington summit in February, new LNG agreements reinforced Greece’s position as a regional gas gateway.
“We are very committed to the success of these projects, and we’re very committed to the partnership we have with Greece on energy security, because it’s in Greece’s national interest, but it’s also in ours,” Rubio said.
The regional infrastructure is also expanding geographically. Greek and U.S. officials have discussed extending the Vertical Gas Corridor toward North Macedonia and Serbia, further connecting Greek energy infrastructure with markets deeper into Europe.
Athens signals naval help in Strait of Hormuz
The most consequential regional security statement from Gerapetritis came when reporters asked whether Greece could participate in additional maritime operations connected to the crisis in the Middle East.
Gerapetritis pointed to Greece’s existing naval role in the European Union’s ASPIDES operation, which protects commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
He said that if further action became necessary, Greece would be in a position to cooperate with the United States and provide naval assistance in the Strait of Hormuz area, provided conditions and the framework for such an operation allowed it.
Greece has already made freedom of navigation in the strategic waterway a diplomatic priority. Earlier in the crisis, Greece joined an international declaration at the United Nations calling for secure navigation and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
For Athens, the issue extends beyond military strategy. Greece controls one of the world’s largest merchant fleets, making uninterrupted maritime traffic directly relevant to the country’s economic interests.
Gerapetritis stressed that freedom of navigation supports energy security and, ultimately, economic prosperity.
Souda Bay and Alexandroupolis underline defense relationship
Gerapetritis highlighted Souda Bay in Crete and Alexandroupolis in northern Greece as examples of the country’s importance to the U.S. and NATO security presence across Southeast Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Souda Bay has long played a central role in American military operations. The strategic significance of the facility, alongside other U.S.-accessible installations, has previously been examined in Greek Reporter’s coverage of the critical role of U.S. bases in Greece.
Alexandroupolis has similarly grown in importance as a military logistics and energy center. The northern port has been described as a key port for the U.S. military presence in Greece.
Its dual role has expanded further in recent years, with Alexandroupolis becoming both a NATO logistics point and an energy hub linking LNG infrastructure with the Balkans and Eastern Europe.
Gerapetritis also highlighted Greece’s modernization of its F-16 fleet to the Viper configuration and the planned introduction of F-35 fighters into the Hellenic Air Force.
Rubio praised Greece for taking on a larger share of European defense responsibilities and described Athens as a strong NATO partner on burden-sharing.
He also announced that Greece is joining the U.S. National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program and will be paired with the Florida National Guard, expanding direct military-to-military cooperation.
New counterterrorism information-sharing program
The pair also spoke of strengthening counterterrorism cooperation between American and Greek authorities.
“We’re proud to announce a new memorandum of understanding establishing a joint security program to strengthen counterterrorism information sharing between our respective law enforcement agencies,” Rubio said.
The announcement builds on existing cooperation between Athens and Washington. The U.S. State Department recently described Greece as a counterterrorism leader and a model for other countries, praising its work against political violence and terrorist organizations.
Rubio said Greece’s geography at the crossroads of important Mediterranean transit routes exposes it to challenges including human trafficking, transnational criminal organizations, terrorism and mass migration.
The new program, he said, is designed to create stronger and more proactive cooperation between law enforcement agencies in the two countries.
Iran dominates questions to Rubio
Iran and Tehran’s nuclear program featured prominently in the press conference, directly connecting the Athens talks with the conflict affecting the Gulf, shipping lanes and global energy markets.
Asked whether Washington might accept some Iranian uranium-enrichment capacity as part of a future agreement, Rubio rejected suggestions that the Trump administration’s basic position had changed.
“Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, simple, period and end of story,” Rubio said.
Rubio argued that Tehran had sought to build a conventional missile and drone capability so extensive that it could eventually deter outside action against its nuclear program.
He credited President Donald Trump with severely degrading Iran’s missile, drone, naval and air capabilities.
“They will never have a nuclear weapon, period,” Rubio said.
Rubio also said the Strait of Hormuz was open and that oil flows had substantially recovered, arguing that Iran had failed to maintain the degree of control over the waterway that it sought.
Greece, Cyprus, Israel and the 3+1 framework
Gerapetritis said he and Rubio also discussed Israel and the broader Middle East.
Greece has developed a strategic partnership with Israel while maintaining close relations with Arab states, and Athens has increasingly presented that network of relationships as an asset in regional diplomacy.
The ministers also discussed the Greece-Cyprus-Israel-U.S. “3+1” framework, which originated with a strong focus on energy cooperation but has evolved into a broader geopolitical partnership.
That cooperation took another step this year when the United States, Greece, Cyprus and Israel launched the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center, aimed at strengthening infrastructure, natural gas development and regional energy security.
Washington has also backed efforts to improve electricity connectivity in the Eastern Mediterranean. The proposed Greece-Cyprus-Israel power interconnector has gained renewed U.S. support, linking energy policy even more closely with the strategic cooperation among the countries.
Gerapetritis reiterated Greece’s longstanding position that the Cyprus issue should be resolved in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions, international law and diplomacy.
Strategic Dialogue brings defense, energy and maritime security together
The sixth Greece-U.S. Strategic Dialogue demonstrates how a relationship once centered overwhelmingly on defense has expanded into energy infrastructure, maritime security, counterterrorism, investment, technology and regional diplomacy.
Rubio’s visit brought those strands together at a particularly volatile moment for the surrounding region.
As the secretary of state told reporters in Athens, the value of the alliance becomes particularly visible when instability spreads across the regions around Greece.
“It is a source of stability in an unstable world,” Rubio said.
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