Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has told Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Greece is "a pillar of stability in a troubled region," making the case that the country has grown from a security partner into an energy and diplomatic hub for Washington.
The two men met for nearly an hour at the Maximos Mansion, capping Mr. Rubio's day in Athens for the Greece-U.S. Strategic Dialogue.
They agreed ties are at a historic high and pledged deeper cooperation on defense, energy, trade, technology, shipping, education and culture, Mr. Mitsotakis's office said.
"Greece is a bridge between Europe, the West, the United States, the Middle East and the Arab world," Mr. Mitsotakis said.
He said the relationship has gone beyond security, noting that Greece is "a gateway for American LNG into Europe," a role that serves Washington's aim of selling more natural gas to a continent trying to wean itself off Russian supplies.
He stressed that Greece stood with its Gulf partners and remains committed to freedom of navigation, which it backs by deploying ships to the European naval mission Aspides in the Red Sea.
That matters to the United States because of attacks on shipping around Yemen and tension over the Strait of Hormuz.
Mr. Rubio called the alliance "historic," said it is being strengthened "in a way that is mutually beneficial," and that the two countries share the same problems and usually agree on solutions. The leaders also discussed Ukraine, Iran, the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean, where Greece's disputes with Turkey, another NATO ally, remain a point of friction. They praised the Greek-American community as a bridge between the two nations.
Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and U.S. Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle also attended.