US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would seek a new ambassador to Greece who has the confidence of President Donald Trump, stressing that the resignation of Kimberly Guilfoyle would not signal a weakening of bilateral ties.

In an interview with Breitbart News conducted days after Guilfoyle’s departure, Rubio described Greece as a key US ally whose role in energy security, regional stability and NATO was becoming increasingly important.

“In no way should any of this be viewed as sort of a de-emphasizing of the Greek relationship,” Rubio said. “On the contrary, I think it’s so important to us that it is important that the person that’s there have the complete support and confidence of the president.”

Rubio said it was too early to identify a successor, noting that the interview took place about 48 hours after the resignation. The administration would take time to identify the right candidate, he said, adding that the appointment would require Senate confirmation.

“We want to give Greece the kind of ambassador they deserve and merit, and that rises to the level of the relationship and how important it is,” he said.

Rubio praised Greece’s contribution to NATO, noting that it had increased defense spending without the pressure from Trump that other allies had faced.

“Greece is an important country, very important. They’re a great ally of the United States,” he said. “They’ve been helping us in so many different ways, and they’re important for our future.”

Greece’s role in energy security

Rubio also highlighted Greece’s potential to become a major regional energy hub, citing its support for energy exploration and its strategic location linking Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Greece’s position gives it an advantage not only in producing energy but also in transporting it to markets across the region, he said.

“Energy is only as good as your ability to move it, whether it’s oil or gas or the generation of electricity,” Rubio said.

He argued that the global energy crisis had exposed the risks of policies aimed at phasing out fossil fuels without developing sufficient alternative supplies, emphasizing that energy remained essential to everyday life, industry and national defense.

“Everyone now, unfortunately, this global crisis has reminded us that at the core of anything we want to do, whether it’s power our daily lives, our industries, or our defenses, it requires energy,” he said.

Rubio said Greece was particularly well positioned because its government supported exploration and its population appeared to back the policy.

“They’re in a very advantageous position geographically now for energy, as they have been for trade and so many other industries throughout history,” he said.

He also voiced support for efforts to persuade other European countries to expand domestic energy production and reduce their dependence on potentially hostile suppliers.

Rubio recalled that Trump had warned during his first term that Germany’s reliance on Russian natural gas left it vulnerable to pressure from Moscow. European leaders and US media had mocked the warning, he said, but Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine underscored the danger.

“Their dependence on Russian energy is one of the reasons why Putin went into Ukraine because he thought he could, because he believed Europe wasn’t going to do anything about it,” Rubio said.

Europe now faces the challenge of reversing decades of energy policy, including an overreliance on a limited range of sources, he added.

“Europe’s future depends on it,” Rubio said, arguing that high fuel costs were contributing to economic stagnation across much of the continent.

Greece as an energy transit hub

Rubio’s comments also underscored Greece’s importance to US efforts to expand the flow of American natural gas into southeastern and central Europe through the so-called Vertical Corridor, a network of pipelines and other infrastructure intended to carry supplies northward, including toward Ukraine.

The initiative could eventually transport gas from Greece, Cyprus and other Western producers alongside US supplies.

Rubio’s remarks followed his visit to Athens, where he delivered a speech at the Acropolis describing Americans as heirs to the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome.

He said the historical connection was central to the Trump administration’s foreign policy and called on Western countries to take greater pride in their shared heritage.

“Our culture, our values, the things we believe as a country are important. They’re not just words on a paper,” Rubio said, arguing that Western political institutions and democratic traditions were rooted in a long history that should be recognized rather than treated apologetically.

Source: Ekathimerini.com