Greece not to establish American base in Alexandroupoli

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at a press conference in Alexandroupoli that they have no plans to host an American military base in the port of Alexandroupoli in northern Greece.

Under a new defense agreement signed with Greece on October 14, 2021, the United States has placed at its disposal several new military bases, including the port of Alexandroupoli in northern Greece and the military camp next to it. Americans note the strategically important location of the port, Newsunrolled reports.

The port of Alexandroupoli became the largest port for the passage of American military equipment to Eastern Europe and Ukraine. According to media reports, 2,500 military vehicles and other weapons were sent there in July alone. In December 2022, the United States sent 19 military equipment trains to Europe via Alexandroupoli.

At a press conference, a journalist asked if Greece planned to establish an American military base in Alexandroupoli, similar to the Court base in Crete, as part of the Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States.

The prime minister replied, “No. How the United States will use it is clearly defined in the bilateral defense cooperation agreement.”

Talking about the government’s decision to abandon the privatization of the Alexandroupoli port, the prime minister said that this would not affect the development plans.

“Our aim is to have modern ports with the most modern equipment,” Mitsotakis said. said.

According to him, a land corridor to the Black Sea can pass through Alexandroupoli, which can be an alternative to the Bosphorus.

Russia had previously sent a note to NATO countries for arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation stated that NATO countries are “playing with fire” by supplying weapons to Ukraine. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov noted that pumping weapons into Ukraine from the West does not contribute to the success of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will have a negative effect.