Washington’s ambassador to Athens on Monday reiterated that the US side wants to cooperate with Greece in fulfilling the latter’s interest in acquiring the F-35 fighter plane, in yet another very high-profile statement dismissing a handful of local press reports claiming the opposite.
US ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, whose tenure in Athens has been extended by the State Department, and will now, by all accounts, overlap with the first period of the upcoming Biden administration, has been unusually vocal in detailing what he’s termed excellent Greek-US ties, and with a particular emphasis on defense relations.
In a statement posted on the US embassy’s website, and retweeted by Pyatt on his Twitter account, reads “…the United States, at the highest levels, has welcomed Greece’s interest in acquiring the F-35 for the Hellenic Air Force. We have signaled our support for procurement and are working closely together on a future acquisition program, which would enhance Greece’s defense capabilities, ensure interoperability with U.S. Armed Forces and improve regional stability. All reports to the contrary are false and misrepresentations of U.S. policy.”
The statement also called US-Greece defense relations as being at an all-time high and is one of America’s strongest military relationships in Europe, while adding: “…the path to acquisition of the F-35 is a multi-year process that would naturally build upon the successes realized in Greece’s F-16 Viper upgrade program.”
