Greece's role as a pillar of stability was underlined by Kimberly Guilfoyle, nominee for US ambassador to Greece, during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearings on Wednesday.
In her introductory speech, Guilfoyle committed to becoming a tireless supporter of American interests, a stable partner for Greek allies and a proud and loyal representative of US President Trump and the American people.
The ambassador nominee underlined Greece's critical role in NATO's southern flank, making special reference to the strong defense ties between the US and Greece and to the fact that Greece is one of the countries most consistently fulfilling its obligations in the alliance related to defense expenditures.
She also underlined the rising importance of Greece as a critical energy hub in the region, noting particularly the Revythoussa liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, the vertical corridor of Alexandroupolis, and the project to link the Cyprus and Israel electricity grids.
NATO and alliance cooperation
In recent years, Guilfoyle said, Greece has developed into a pillar of stability in a complicated region, and its commitment to common security within the NATO alliance is more important than ever. Greece is staunchly among allies with the highest defense expenditures, and is forecast to continue to invest 3% of its GDP in defense in 2025, while it is on track to reach 5%, according to the alliance's commitment at The Hague, she noted,a tangible investment in collective security.
In addition, the nominee noted, a significant part of these defense expenditures are directed toward acquiring state-of-the-art American defense technology, including F-35s, advanced Apache and Black Hawk helicopters, and the updated naval ships. Moreover, the proposal for a joint production of naval frigates shows Greece's long-term commitment to the US-Greece strategic defense collaboration, she pointed out.
These efforts to upgrade are strengthening Greece's significant military capabilities, Guilfoyle said, building up the eastern flank of the NATO alliance and creating valuable opportunities for American industry. She added that if the Senate approves her appointment, she will prioritize above all the further acceleration of Greece's defense upgrade, boosting even further the collaboration and synergies between US and Greek defense sectors.
Greece as energy hub
Guilfoyle noted the tremendous progress achieved in energy collaboration, and said the Revythoussa terminal and the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in Alexandroupolis allows the US to export more natural gas to Europe. While natural gas from the US now represents 20% of the natural gas share in Greece - from 2% five years ago - there are tremendous opportunities to sell more American energy to Greece and its neighbors, the nominee told the Senate foreign relations committee.
The American ambassador nominee said that during her tenure, if her nomination is approved, she would work for the vertical corridor between Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and Central Europe, so that Greece may become a hub of American natural gas in the region. She said she would also encourage Greece's progress in constructing electricity grid linking projects with its neighbors, including Cyprus, Israel, and Egypt, which would contribute to the regional energy differentiation and security.
Economic cooperation
Guilfoyle also stressed that economic opportunities remain the central pillar of the strong US-Greek relationship, and she would, if approved, serve as a strategic partner in promoting American trade and investment interests, based on successful efforts to expand opportunities for US businesses in basic sectors, including defense, energy, shipping, infrastructure, technology, artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals, hospitality, and agriculture.
She would also actively pursue ways to encourage and facilitate Greek investments in the United States, promoting a more balanced, resilient, and mutually beneficial economic cooperation, Guilfoyle said.
Q & A
Guilfoyle told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that she intended to focus on the protection of Greece, Cyprus, and Israel, the strong and staunch US allies in the critical geopolitical region of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Addressing herself to the committee during confirmation hearings, Guilfoyle said her main focus as ambassador should be on what the US intended to do in this region, which was so urgent for the national security of the United States, and on how America could protect its strong allies of Cyprus, Israel, and Greece.
She also referred to the critical issue of a possible reinclusion of Türkiye in the F-35 program, saying that the neighboring country has been excluded from acquiring them due to its own choices. Responding to a question by the committee chairman, Senator Jim Risch, Guilfoyle said that as he had mentioned, Türkiye was excluded form acquiring F-35s by law, after having chosen to collaborate with the Russians to buy their S-400 defense system.
During the hearing, the nominee also compared Greece and Türkiye, presenting Greece as a strong and unwavering ally that always responded to challenges and exceeded expectations. She clarified to senators that she was expressing personal opinions as a citizen and was looking forward to expanding her knowledge about the specific issues, while following directions by the US president and working with American Ambassador Tom Barrack in Ankara. She said she had a very close working relationship with Barrack in Türkiye, having known him for a very long time, and a very close relationship with former ambassador to Athens George Tsunis. She said these ties would be decisive in ensuring that she would be prepared and be able to exceed expectations as envoy to Greece from the very first day.