|
The new Obama administration's much-touted commitment to achieve better
coordination and understanding with friends and allies around the world came
home to Athens with recent remarks by Daniel
Speckhard, the new US
ambassador to Greece.
Mr. Speckhard, in
detailing Washington's relations with Athens
and in the region, said he wanted to upgrade Greek-US relations beyond
long-standing problems Athens
wants solved.
Also, he emphasised
better coordination on crucial geostrategic issues around the world, such as Afghanistan, instead of allowing "important, yet
individual issues" from defining relations between Greece and America.
Mr. Speckhard pointed
directly to a growing flow of illegal migration from the troubled Central
Asia country to Greece,
among others, as necessitating greater involvement by the international
community in peacekeeping efforts there.
He cited Greece's
traditionally good relations with the Muslim world; counter-proliferation
efforts against WMDs, especially in light of the massive Greek-owned
merchant fleet; coordinating policies to deal with the international
economic crisis, and even Washington's
newfound emphasis on global environmental and energy matters, noting that Greece is perfect for implementing
renewable energy innovations.
He reiterated US support
for finding a solution to the long-standing Cyprus problem and a solution to the
resurfaced "name issue" with neighbouring fYRoM -- "but these important
issues shouldn't define the Greece-US relationship".
In regard to the ongoing negotiations between Washington and Athens for
finally including EU and NATO member-state Greece on the US visa waiver
program -- an important issue for the sizeable Greek-American community –
Mr. Speckhard reminded that two out of three chapters on the agreement have
basically been finalised, with the remaining chapter, on criminal data
sharing, now the subject of back-and-forth consultations by the two sides.
"The goal is to see this thing wrap up by the summer," he added.
|
|
