Eyeing Russia,Greece Seeks Increased US Military Presence

A new mutual defence cooperation pact between Greece and the US is to be signed by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias on 14 October 2021 in Washington.The pact will reportedly include new basing for US Navy warships at a second naval base at Souda Bay,Crete to supplement the existing US Naval Support Activity Souda Bay.The new base will facilitate larger flotillas accessing the Eastern Mediterranean,which is a strategic goal of Greece.Athens is also seeking more US military operations in the Aegean Sea.It would like US air and naval bases to be set up on the island of Skyros in the heart of the Aegean,which would accomodate either rotational or permanent US forces,the Kathimerini newspaper reported.This would improve US access to the Black Sea Region,deemed critically important by NATO to combat Russia's malign influence in the region.* Indeed,US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt told the George C. Marshall Center-ELIAMED Seminar on Countering Malign Influence at the Armed Forces Club in Athens,Greece on 23 September 2021: Here in Greece and worldwide,Russia continues to spread misinformation and sow discord inside our democracies.Russia's growing military presence in the Eastern Mediterrranean,from bases in Syria to Wagner mercenaries in Libya,is profoundly destabilising.We also oppose Russia's attempts to foment instability by breaking the unity of the Orthodox Church and manipulating energy resources to extract political concessions.* On 27 September,Ambassador Pyatt met with Foreign Minister Dendias in Athens.According to the Foreign Ministry: The meeting focused on the Greek-US strategic dialogue ahead of the planned visit of Foreign Minister Dendias in mid-October.*