With determination to leave her mark on the trajectory of US-Greece relations, the new US ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle arrives in our country this coming Saturday at noon. Information from the American embassy indicates that no official reception has been scheduled -so far.
During the first days, Kimberly Guilfoyle’s schedule exclusively provides for handling all procedural matters and pending issues that have accumulated over the previous months due to the delay in assuming her duties.
Next week, however, her public presence will be intense. On Tuesday she will go to the Presidential Palace to present her credentials to the President of the Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas. On Thursday and Friday she will attend the 6th Ministerial Conference on Trans-Atlantic Energy Cooperation (P-TEC), where US Energy Secretary Chris Wright will also be present, along with Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou, as they co-organize the Conference. The presence of Ms. Guilfoyle and Mr. Wright will signal the strategic cooperation between Greece and the US in the energy sector.
According to the same sources, within the next week there is also the possibility of a meeting between the new ambassador and the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
“Kimberly Guilfoyle’s arrival will further strengthen the already good relations between Greece and the United States”
Expectations from the close associate of the American president, Kimberly Guilfoyle, for promoting solutions to vital issues for our country are high. Rhode Island State Senator and president of PADEE (World Interparliamentary Union of Hellenism), Leonidas Raptakis, tells parapolitika.gr his certainty that Kimberly Guilfoyle’s tenure in Greece will strengthen Greek-American relations and promote our national interests.
According to the Senator, “Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle’s arrival will further strengthen the already good relations between Greece and the United States and will enhance Greece’s foreign policy, while continuing the policies outlined by her predecessors, ambassadors Jeffrey Pyatt and George Tsunis. Although Ambassador Guilfoyle has no previous State Department experience or diplomatic experience, her testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee proved that her arrival will be more than positive due to the answers she gave, especially regarding Turkey, the F-35 program, energy issues and Greece itself. Her experience as a lawyer and her role at Fox News for several years strengthen her knowledge of global issues.”
Raptakis to parapolitika.gr: Greek-American relations of the last nine years were the best of all times
According to Leonidas Raptakis, although Greeks’ suspicions about American foreign policy regarding Greece will never be eliminated, Greek-American relations over the past nine years have been the best of all times. As he says “Greece has become a partner with the United States in the Eastern Mediterranean, in NATO, in the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement MDCA and the country has been transformed into an energy hub in cooperation with the US. With Ms. Guilfoyle as ambassador representing the United States in Greece, US foreign policy will be normal and predictable.”
Regarding the possibility of cooperation between the two American ambassadors to Greece and Turkey towards finding solutions to Greek-Turkish differences, Mr. Raptakis is optimistic: “I am certain that this government is committed to minimizing tensions between Greece and Turkey. Especially after the Turkish president’s visit to the White House and the United States on the defense equipment issue, we saw President Trump bring forward the concerns of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, while he sent the message to the Turkish President that all Russian oil and natural gas purchases should stop. Something that is not favorable for Turkey. Ambassador Guilfoyle’s mission is to ensure all US foreign policy interests, but also that Greece and Cyprus will not be questioned or threatened by Turkey. My colleagues here in the United States are 50 Greek-American bipartisan elected officials. Of these, 7 are members of the US Congress, 5 are state officials, 13 are state senators and 25 are state representatives. We are all determined to ensure that our voices will be heard and will challenge any threats against Greece and Cyprus from the Turkish government.”
