The countdown begins until the new US Ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, arrives in Athens. As parapolitika.gr reported earlier, Guilfoyle’s schedule for the first days 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. According to well-informed sources, there is also the possibility of a meeting between the new ambassador and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis within the next week.
On Tuesday, the new US Ambassador will visit the Presidential Mansion to present her credentials to the President of the Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas. On Thursday and Friday, she will attend the 6th Ministerial Conference on Transatlantic Energy Cooperation (P-TEC), where US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright will also be present alongside Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou, as they co-organize the Conference. The presence of Guilfoyle and Wright will mark the strategic cooperation between Greece and the US in the energy sector.
Kimberly Guilfoyle: Details of her arrival in Greece
The new US Ambassador is expected to arrive in Athens on Saturday via private aircraft belonging to a Greek-American businessman and godfather of Konstantinos Argyros, according to information from “Big Mouth” at powergame.gr.
As the column has already reported, Guilfoyle’s reception in our country will take place in a particularly original way. According to invitations sent by Konstantinos Argyros through the American Embassy in Athens, next Sunday the official welcome for the new American ambassador will take place at “Centro Athens,” where the well-known folk singer performs. The possibility of high-ranking government officials attending adds particular interest to this specific event.
On Saturday, November 1st at 4:30 PM, according to an Ant1 report, a friendship evening will be held by the Greece-Israel Friendship Committee at Freedom Park, though Kimberly Guilfoyle herself does not appear to be attending.
On Saturday evening, Guilfoyle will host a celebration for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the US Marine Corps at a central Athens hotel.
Kimberly Guilfoyle’s new home
Kimberly Guilfoyle, like all previous American ambassadors, will stay at the US ambassadorial residence in central Athens.
This is the Jefferson House located very close to the American embassy and constitutes an oasis in the center of Athens.
The ambassadorial residence, like the American embassy and every embassy, constitutes foreign territory – in this case American – and is heavily guarded.
Large gardens, a swimming pool, and a residential complex that houses not only the current ambassador but also other US diplomatic staff constitute this oasis unknown to most people that exists in central Athens among the towering apartment buildings.
In recent months, renovation work has been carried out and everything is now ready for the ambassadorial residence to host the new ambassador.
“Kimberly Guilfoyle’s arrival will further strengthen the already good relations between Greece and the United States”
Expectations are high for President Trump’s close associate, Kimberly Guilfoyle, to advance solutions to vital issues for our country. Rhode Island State Senator and President of the World Interparliamentary Association of Hellenism (WIAH), Leonidas Raptakis, tells parapolitika.gr of 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 set by her predecessors, Ambassadors Jeffrey Pyatt and George Tsunis. Although Ambassador Guilfoyle has no previous State Department 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 enhance her knowledge of global issues.”
Raptakis to parapolitika.gr: “Greek-American relations of the last nine years were the best of all time”
According to Leonidas Raptakis, although Greeks’ suspicions about American foreign policy regarding Greece will never be eliminated, Greek-American relations of the last nine years were the best of all time. 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 Ambassador Guilfoyle 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 toward finding solutions to Greek-Turkish differences, Mr. Raptakis expresses optimism: “I am certain that this administration 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 defense equipment issues, we saw President Trump bring the concerns of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the forefront, while he sent the message to the Turkish president that all Russian oil and natural gas purchases must stop. Something that is not favorable for Turkey. Ambassador Guilfoyle’s mission is to ensure all US foreign policy interests, and that Greece and Cyprus will not be challenged 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 state senators, and 25 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.”
