Greece draws in the US — and edges out Russia

Greece is hosting more American troops and buying US energy, frustrating Russia.

 
ATHENS — It took several decades, but Greece has finally welcomed in the United States — at Russia’s expense.

Nearly 40 years ago, Greek people were marching in the streets against U.S. military bases in the region. Banners declared: “Out with the bases of death!” Across the nation, surveys showed most Greeks felt closer to Russia, a fellow Christian Orthodox nation that had helped the Greeks fight off Ottoman rule in 1821, than they did to the U.S.

Even in the 2000s, Greek-U.S. relations remained frosty. Athens flirted with strengthening its ties to Moscow.

That’s all changed.

In recent years, U.S.-Greece relations have grown much tighter — tighter than ever, officials on both sides proclaim. And much of that cooperation has directly affected Russia.

Greece has granted the U.S. open-ended access to four pivotal military bases, frustrating Russia. It has started receiving U.S. liquefied natural gas at a port near Athens, providing an alternative to Russia. And U.S. corporate giants have been establishing Greece as a regional hub — JPMorgan Chase, Microsoft, Pfizer, Amazon, Cisco, Tesla and Deloitte have all made significant moves in the country recently.

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Πηγή: politico.eu