The United States sees Greece as an indispensable partner and a key ally of NATO, playing a critical role in protecting the alliance’s southeastern flank, Deputy State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told a regular briefing by diplomatic correspondents. Mr. Patel’s specific position came in response to a question from a Turkish journalist who asked what the US reaction was to the fact that Nikos Dendias refused to land in Tripoli to avoid meeting with the Libyan Foreign Minister and then went to Benghazi where he met with Khalifa Haftar.

Although a State Department spokesman said he was not aware of the incident, the Turkish journalist returned and asked if it was in line with US policy that Greece back Haftar and not the Tripoli government. However, Vedant Patel repeated the same answer to this question, adding that Greece is helping the United States achieve its goals both in the Mediterranean and in Europe.

As he stated, “I would simply say, since I don’t have a specific reaction, that Greece is an important partner and key ally of the US in NATO, playing an important role in protecting the southeastern flank of NATO, but also helping the US achieve its goals both in the immediate Mediterranean region, and more broadly in Europe.

Source: RES-IPE