LIVE: Marco Rubio and Greece’s foreign minister speak in Athens

Good morning. The Foreign Ministers will make statements and then accept some questions. Mr. Minister, please explain. Honorable Minister Rubio, dear Marco, it is a great pleasure for me to welcome you today to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Athens and an equally great honor to jointly inaugurate the 1st round of the strategic dialogue between

Greece and the United States. We welcome you today not only as the foreign minister of an ally country, but also as a politician of international standing, a deep knowledge of the region and a friend of Greece. In conditions of intensifying strategic competition, increased geopolitical instability and serious reshuffles in our immediate and wider

neighborhood. The strategic dialogue between the United States and Greece has become a constant that reflects the highest level of our relations, as well as our shared commitment to further deepening, strengthening the Transatlantic bond, and promoting international and regional stability and security. In terms of our bilateral relations, energy and trade, energy cooperation between the two

countries has reached an unprecedented level. We highlighted the pivotal role of Greece through the vertical corridor that constitutes the backbone of the transport of American liquefied natural gas to Central and Eastern Europe. The Greek-owned commercial fleet transports more than 20% of LNG to global markets, enhancing energy stability, security and resilience. We highlighted the increased presence of

American energy companies in Greece, especially with regard to the exploitation and exploration of underwater hydrocarbon deposits, a fact which demonstrates the confidence that America and the American market demonstrate in the Greek economy and in our investment environment, and of course the significant American investments that are being made in Greece, especially at the level of