US praises Greece for spending more than 3.5% of its GDP on defense

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – The US praised Greece for spending more than 3.5 % of its GDP on defense, well above the 2% guideline agreed to at a NATO’s Wales Summit in 2014.

“The United States praised Greece for exceeding its Wales Summit commitment by spending more than 3.5% of its GDP on defense, with more than 45% of that amount used to buy major equipment and for modernization,” according to a joint statement released Friday following the Fifth Strategic Dialogue meeting held in Washington co-chaired by visiting Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapteritis and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The statement noted the growing bilateral defense ties that included access to Greek military facilities by US forces, including the northern Greek port of Alexandroupoli.

As for regional matters of mutual interests, the parties reiterated their commitments to promoting stability, peace and prosperity in Europe and the region, including the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on ships sailing the Red Sea and the war in Ukraine.

“The United States expressed satisfaction with Greece's humanitarian aid to Gaza, strong support for Israel, its participation in Operation Prosperity Guardian, and praised Greece for its leadership role in the EU's new naval operation, EUNAVFOR Aspides,” said the statement.

It underlined that the US welcomed the improvement in relations between Greece and Türkiye -- two allies in NATO’s southeastern flank.​​​​​​​