Greek police will ban public outdoor gatherings and motorized marches across central Athens for 24 hours starting 6 a.m. Wednesday, deploying thousands of officers backed by drones as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits for the sixth Greece-U.S. Strategic Dialogue.
The ban, covering a wider area of the capital, runs until 6 a.m. Thursday.
Authorities said it is meant to prevent serious threats to public safety and major disruption to economic and social life during the visit. Extensive traffic restrictions will also apply across the center.
Police said they will try to limit inconvenience for residents and visitors. Metro stations will close only briefly and only when strictly necessary.
Evangelismos station is expected to stay open because of the nearby hospital.
Mr. Rubio arrives Tuesday evening and leads the American delegation at Wednesday's talks, the first time a sitting secretary of state has done so since the forum began in 2018.
He is due to meet Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis. Defense, energy and regional security top the agenda, along with trade, counterterrorism and civil protection.
Athens is expected to raise Turkey's escalating challenges in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, and Washington's debate over whether Ankara could return to the F-35 program. Mr. Rubio has said Turkey cannot rejoin while it keeps Russia's S-400 air defense system.
The visit is part of a three-country tour of Iceland, Greece and Portugal from Oct. 5 to 8.
The search didn't turn up independent coverage of this incident, so the copy below rests on the iefimerida/Mega account alone.