Its key geopolitical significance Greece the current situation is indicated by the fact that in the coming days officials of the two superpowers will be in Athens almost simultaneously for contacts with the Greek leadership, USA And China.

Prior to the arrival of the US Secretary of State Anthony BlinkenChinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan will arrive in Athens on Monday evening for a series of meetings. Blinken’s visit touches on a very “hot” agenda, as it includes bilateral relations between Greece and the United States, an unexpected “window” for calm waters in the Aegean after the devastating earthquake in Turkey, and, of course, the continued support of Ukraine from its allies in NATO, including Greece. Previously, Ms. Sun discussed very important outstanding issues in Greek-Chinese relations, mainly the issue of COSCO’s presence in the port of Piraeus and expansion plans, which so far have not come to fruition. Of course, after the global trade downturn due to the pandemic, the Port of Piraeus has returned to an upward trend, which in itself indicates its importance to both China and Greece, which remains a gateway to Chinese trade.

The interest of the two great powers in Greece is intensifying due to the critical phase of the Ukrainian war. At the moment, Greece is a valuable support for the United States in the very large efforts that are being made to support Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression.

State Department official announcement of Blinken’s visit to Greece and Turkey to Athens and Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan.

As officially announced by the State Department, Mr. Blinken will meet with Prime Minister Mr. Nikos Dendias and SYRIZA President Alexis Tsipras. Earlier (19/2) Mr. Blinken will visit the Incirlik base in Turkey and then Ankara where he will meet with Mevlut Cavusoglu.

For the Chinese, the position of vice premier in Athens is part of the opening that Beijing is currently making to Europe. It is no coincidence that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is visiting Munich these days for the 59th Security Conference. He will also visit France, Italy, Hungary and Russia.