Μake us preferred on Google U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Athens for the sixth round of the Greece-U.S. Strategic Dialogue, with Washington seeking to deepen bilateral cooperation in defense, regional security and energy.
Rubio arrived in Athens on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s talks. He was welcomed by Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis at the Foreign Ministry at 9 a.m., where the two ministers are expected to make joint statements to the press before formally opening the dialogue.
The discussions will include expanded talks between the two delegations, with a particular focus on defense and energy. Rubio is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximos Mansion, the prime minister’s official office, later in the day.
Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis meets with his U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio at the Foreign Ministry during the sixth round of the Greece-U.S. Strategic Dialogue, Athens, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (YIANNIS PANAGOPOULOS / EUROKINISSI)
For Washington, the visit aims to strengthen cooperation in key policy areas, while further developing economic ties between the two countries remains a priority. The meetings are taking place under heightened security measures in central Athens.
Strategic Dialogue focuses on security and energy
Rubio is scheduled to visit the U.S. Embassy in Athens at 11 a.m. to attend the inauguration of renovation works at the embassy.
At noon, he is expected to join Gerapetritis at a central Athens hotel for a session of the Strategic Dialogue.
According to the U.S. State Department, Rubio’s visit is aimed at further deepening bilateral cooperation in key areas including defense cooperation, regional security and energy security.
U.S. ambassador also at Foreign Ministry
U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle has also arrived at the Foreign Ministry as the sixth round of the Strategic Dialogue gets underway.
Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis meets with his U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio at the Foreign Ministry during the sixth round of the Greece-U.S. Strategic Dialogue, Athens, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (YIANNIS PANAGOPOULOS / EUROKINISSI)
What the sixth Strategic Dialogue includes
The Strategic Dialogue will begin with discussions on regional issues, followed by talks on people-to-people ties.
The two sides are also expected to sign a Letter of Intent establishing cooperation between the Greek Armed Forces and the Florida National Guard.
Greece and the United States will also renew their Memorandum of Understanding on the imposition of import restrictions on categories of archaeological and ethnological material dating to the 15th century A.D.
Another agreement will be a Memorandum of Understanding on the mutual recognition of seafarers’ certificates of competency under the 1978 International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW).
The agreement is intended to facilitate employment opportunities for seafarers and strengthen Greek-U.S. cooperation in maritime training.
Security, energy, shipping and defense on agenda
The two delegations will also hold a working lunch covering global issues, according to the program of the Greek Foreign Ministry.
Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis meets with his U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio at the Foreign Ministry during the sixth round of the Greece-U.S. Strategic Dialogue, Athens, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (YIANNIS PANAGOPOULOS / EUROKINISSI)
Further sessions will focus on security and law enforcement, energy, shipping, technology, trade and investment, and defense.
The talks are expected to conclude at around 5 p.m. Wednesday.
The Greece-U.S. Strategic Dialogue was launched in 2018. The fifth round was held in Washington in February 2024.
Energy projects and the 3+1 framework
Rubio is also expected to address the 3+1 cooperation framework involving Greece, Cyprus, Israel and the United States, which has been strongly opposed by Turkey, which views cooperation with Israel as an attempt to encircle it.
Another issue expected to feature prominently is the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) project, which the United States is described as strongly interested in and which is expected to restart soon.
The talks are also expected to highlight U.S. companies’ interest in hydrocarbon exploration in Greece, including areas south of Crete. Some of those areas are disputed by Turkey under the Turkey-Libya memorandum, which Greece describes as illegal.
The broader message from the talks is expected to be that Greece and the United States see opportunities for deeper cooperation through projects of shared interest, including the Vertical Corridor, the GSI and hydrocarbon exploration.
Rubio’s Pnyx speech
Rubio is also scheduled to deliver a speech at the Pnyx, the historic site in Athens associated with the ancient city’s democratic institutions.
Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis meets with his U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio at the Foreign Ministry during the sixth round of the Greece-U.S. Strategic Dialogue, Athens, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026. (YIANNIS PANAGOPOULOS / EUROKINISSI)
The speech will focus on democracy and will form part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, known as “Freedom 250.”
According to the Greek media, the messages Rubio delivers at the Pnyx are expected to be aimed primarily at a domestic American audience, with the U.S. secretary of state also looking ahead to the November 3 U.S. midterm elections.
Rubio is also expected to deliver a speech Wednesday evening in Athens on the future of Western civilization, with the Acropolis as a backdrop.
The speech was previewed by Dylan Johnson, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Global Public Affairs, in a statement to Breitbart News.
Johnson said Rubio would use the historical legacy of ancient Greece as a starting point for a broader message about the shared heritage of the United States and Europe and the challenges facing the West in a new era of great-power competition.
“Tomorrow evening, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will deliver a speech from the birthplace of Western civilization, where he will call on Americans and Europeans to unite in a great renaissance of the Western spirit,” Johnson said.
He said Rubio would trace the history of ancient Greece as an early expression of characteristics that came to define the West, including curiosity, courage, ambition and a spirit of exploration and discovery.
Johnson said Rubio would warn that “much of our civilization has forgotten these fundamental characteristics” and would call on U.S. allies across the West to work with the United States to reject decline, defend their shared heritage and confront a new era of great-power competition together.
