Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis met in Brussels on Tuesday evening with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, with the former briefing the top American diplomat on Athens’ positions regarding Mideast issues and expressing the Greek government’s concerns over a regional spillover of the ongoing crisis.

He also expressed the Greek side’s readiness to assist in efforts at de-escalating the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers’ summit in Brussels this week.

On his part, Blinken referred to the excellent level of Greek-US relations, while inviting Gerapetritis to Washington D.C. early next year for the holding of the US-Greece strategic dialogue. He also thanked the Greek side for Athens’ assistance in evacuating US citizens from the Middle East and Greece’s role as a reliable interlocutor.

Another issue discussed was the need for a rapid energy diversification and autonomy, and Greece’s crucial role in this direction.

Blinken is due to visit Israel, the West Bank and the UAE this week, according to the US State Department.