At the end of May, the USS Arlington, an amphibious transport ship of the U.S. Navy, arrived at the greek port of Alexandroupolis. It is reported that during the three days of the port, 1,500 U.S. military personnel on board the warship overwhelmed many local restaurants and even ate all the eggs in the area.
Some analysts said that at a time when the US and Greek militaries are expanding cooperation, the US Navy's visit highlights the increasing importance of the southeast corner of Europe to the United States and NATO. Since last October, the United States has docked and landed several times at the port of Alexandroupolis. In addition, the port is also used by U.S. forces for exercises, transporting personnel and military equipment.
Port of Alexandroupolis, Greece
Nearly 7,000 eggs were eaten on the first day of port call
The United States used the port to deliver military aid to Ukraine
Located in northeastern Greece, near the country's borders with Bulgaria and Turkey, the port of Alexandroupolis is just 60 miles from the Dardanelles, an important maritime entrance to the Black Sea. At the same time, a land route around the Bosphorus was set up, allowing ships to quickly enter the Black Sea, the Balkans and other areas on NATO's southeast flank.
At the end of May, the U.S. Navy warship USS Arlington docked and landed at the port of Alexandroupolis. There are reports that the 1,500 naval officers and Marines on board the warship seem to have enjoyed the stay, overwhelming local restaurants. Jogos Alavantas, the owner of a local restaurant, said U.S. personnel ate 6,000 to 7,000 eggs on the first day the warship docked.
"In other words, our eggs have been eaten." Aravantas said. During the 3 days of the warship's stay, many restaurants in Alexandroupolis noticed a surge in foot traffic, and the appetite of visiting U.S. Navy personnel was "quite good." George Davis, former president of the Alexandroupolis Hotel Association, said: "My restaurant serves 16 different types of meat dishes and they all taste it over and over again. ”
It is reported that the visit highlights the importance that the United States attaches to the Greek port of Alexandroupolis. Last October, the United States and Greece signed an amendment to the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement and extended the agreement for five years. Under the agreement, the United States was granted preferential access to the port of Alexandroupolis. Since then, the United States has made several calls and landings at the port, including its two largest ever landings in Greece.
As the Russian-Ukrainian conflict continues, the port of Alexandroupolis is particularly valuable to the United States. Last month, U.S. Defense Secretary Austin said during a Visit to the United States by the Greek Defense Minister that the port "allows us to continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine and conduct exercises and operations in the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea region." Coincidentally, the authorities of Alexandroupolis announced on the 3rd of this month that the Italian army will also use the port to deliver equipment to Europe. In addition, the British side allegedly planned to take similar measures.
In July 2021, a U.S. Army M1A2 tank was unloaded at the port of Alexandroupolis
Local new energy projects are funded by EU grants
The strengthening of the US military presence has caused dissatisfaction on the Russian side
Under the agreement between the United States and Greece, Greece has reportedly agreed to lend several of its military bases to the United States almost indefinitely. At present, the U.S. military uses a military base near Alexandroupolis and has not yet established its own military base in the city. Some analysts said that with the improvement of local infrastructure and the intensification of tensions in nearby areas, the strategic importance of Alexandroupolis Port will continue to increase.
In addition to maritime transport, Alexandroupolis will also play a role in European energy security. Since the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, many European countries have tried to find ways to "get rid of" their dependence on Russian energy. According to Xinhua News Agency, on May 3, local time, the floating LNG receiving station project of Alexandroupolis Port was officially launched. According to the Greek government, the project will be completed within 20 months, and the annual natural gas production capacity will reach 5.5 billion cubic meters after completion. It is reported that the total investment of the project is 360 million euros, of which nearly 170 million euros come from EU funding.
Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis spoke at the launch of the floating LNG terminal project at Alexandroupolis Port on May 3
Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis said at the launch ceremony of the project at the time that Greece will become one of the key players on the european new energy map, becoming a new energy gateway for the Balkans and southeastern Europe. The receiving station at the port of Alexandroupolis will be part of the EU's Southern Energy Corridor, which aims to transport Azerbaijani natural gas to EU countries via Turkey. Jeffrey Piat, then U.S. ambassador to Greece, said: "Europe is moving quickly to reduce its vulnerability to Russian energy blackmail, and this project in Port Alexandroupolis is becoming increasingly important." ”
Still, Russia and Turkey have expressed dissatisfaction with the U.S. increased military presence in the port city. Last December, Kremlin press secretary Peskov told Greek media: "More and more troops from NATO and the United States are gathering on your territory." Hundreds of thousands of military equipment were transported from Alexandroupoli (to other countries). Peskov added: "This worries us. ”
Russia and Turkey have expressed dissatisfaction with the strengthening of the U.S. military presence in the port city
It is reported that before the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Greece and Russia have maintained a good cooperative relationship. Relations between the two countries deteriorated as Greece expressed support for Ukraine and expelled diplomats from each other. Recently, Russia has included Greece in the list of "unfriendly" countries. On the other hand, Turkey and Greece, two NATO allies, have traditionally had some differences, and relations between the two countries have deteriorated further in recent months.
Last October, shortly before the U.S.-Greece agreement was signed, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made his opposition to the U.S. military presence in Greece. At the time, Erdogan told U.S. President Joe Biden: "Building bases there bothers our country and our people. In June, Erdogan reiterated his opposition to the U.S. plan to set up a base in Greece. Erdogan said: "Who was [the base] built for? The answer they (the UNITED States) gave was 'Russia', but we didn't believe it. ”
Red Star News Hu Yiling Intern Ma Xiaoyue
Edited by Yang Cheng, Yu Dongmei
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