US Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Athens on the evening of Tuesday 6 October from Reykjavík and is due to depart for Lisbon. His tour, from 5 to 8 October, does not include Ankara, a fact that was noted in both Athens and Turkey. On Wednesday, he led the US delegation at the 6th round of the Greece–US Strategic Dialogue, the forum which began in 2018 and had last met in Washington in February 2024.
Joint statements at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
At 9.30 am, following his first meeting with Giorgos Gerapetritis, the Greek Foreign Minister described the cooperation as ‘stronger than ever’ and Greece a “provider of security”, citing defence spending above the NATO target, Souda and Alexandroupoli. The F-16 Vipers and the introduction of the F-35s, he said, “highlight the steadfast defence cooperation” between the two countries. Rubio described Greece as a steadfast and important ally and emphasised that the alliance is rooted in a long history.
Of the questions asked, the most detailed response concerned the Greece–Cyprus cable and the Turkish threats. Rubio said that certain issues “relate to delicate situations, which also involve other countries”, adding, “I will not mention any names”, and referring to diplomacy and the “appropriate forums”, whilst assuring that the US wants the projects to succeed. On Iran, he stated that it cannot acquire nuclear weapons and that the Strait of Hormuz is open. Gerapetritis replied that Greece, which is the leading contributor of naval forces to Operation ‘Shields’ in the Red Sea, would assist in the Strait of Hormuz only if there is a viable peace process.
What was signed
The Joint Statement that followed covers defence, the economy and investment, energy, new technologies and culture. On the defence front, a package of US defence sales worth approximately $4 billion for the long-term planning of Greek defence, the transfer of Stryker armoured vehicles, and Greece’s inclusion in the Florida National Guard’s state partnership programme. The relevant memorandum was signed by the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, General Dimitrios Houpis, and the Commander of the Florida National Guard, in the presence of Nikos Dendias and Rubio. An agreement was also signed regarding the certification of American seafarers on Greek ships, the renewal of the memorandum on the protection of cultural heritage, and the first Greek project under the US Ambassadors’ Fund for Cultural Preservation. No new document regarding the F-35s, as had been anticipated in the press, was announced.
Pnyx, Maximos, dinner
At 6 pm, Rubio spoke from the Pnyx. “Athens gave us democracy,” he said, describing Greece as a “model ally” and calling on Europe to remember “the flame that was kindled in Greece”. Alexis Tsipras had earlier described the choice of the Pnyx “risky” and questioned whether the dialogue would yield tangible results, whilst in Parliament the opposition expressed concerns about the visit.
At 7 pm, at the Maximos Mansion, Kyriakos Mitsotakis described relations as “at their highest level ever”, describing Greece as a “pillar of stability” in a turbulent region and as a gateway for American LNG into Europe via the Vertical Corridor. At the dinner at the King George Hotel, Gerapetritis told Rubio, “We consider you one of us”, and the President of the Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas, presented him with an English translation of Pericles’ Funeral Oration.
Ankara’s interpretation
The Turkish media interpreted the talks as an attempt by Greece to ‘secure’ air and naval superiority in the Aegean. Turkey remains excluded from the F-35 programme: the State Department had stated on 22 July that it did not meet the requirements, and Hakan Fidan admitted that the return “is taking longer than we expected”. On 24 September and 1 October, the Turkish Ministry of Defence reiterated that projects in areas it considers to be its continental shelf, such as the cable, “must be coordinated in advance’ with Turkey. Greece, which holds the presidency of the UN Security Council in October, responds that Turkish authorisation is neither required nor will it be sought.
Source: joint statements by Gerapetritis and Rubio and the Joint Statement of the 6th Greece–US Strategic Dialogue, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 7 October 2026; reports by HuffPost Greece, The TOC and Euronews on 6 and 7 October 2026.
