The US Ambassador to Athens, Geoffrey R. Pyatt, spoke with journalist Marianna Kakaounaki in the framework of the 6th Delphi Economic Forum, which is under the auspices of the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

The US Ambassador said he was impressed by how the Prespa Treaty changed the geopolitics of the region and how rapidly that happened. “I did not believe how fast and positive things would develop,” he said.

Referring to the new US Biden administration and US-Greek relations, he stressed that both President Biden and US Secretary of State Mr. Blinken know Greece very well and even referred to Mr. Biden’s very warm conversation with Prime Minister Mitsotakis, the 200 years of the Greek Revolution on March 25, but also Mr. Biden’s message for the Orthodox Easter. “President Biden wants relations between the two countries to level up,” he said.

“Greece is a very important strategic partner in NATO and plays an important role, along with the rest of our European partners, in trying to encourage China to play by the rules of foreign policy,” Pyatt said.

Commenting on the Mitsotakis government, he said that it has raised the bar a lot in terms of energy, defence, and those related to climate change.

From his experience in Greece, he noted that investors no longer have concerns related to the resilience of the Greek economy as they did a few years ago, but that they now have faith in its prospects. “The country’s economic recovery is a reality, Greece is now a global player in several sectors, such as technology and energy, especially in the field of solar and wind energy.”

Asked about the Turkish provocation, Mr. Pyatt said he was always worried about an incident, such as last summer, in which the Greek armed forces had very quick reflexes.

Finally, the Ambassador stated that he is very proud of the American investment in the port of Syros, but also of the “transformation” of the port of Alexandroupolis, which gave “new breath to the region”.