The Minister of Shipping and Insular Policy, Vassilis Kikilias, held a series of important meetings with US government officials and members of Congress during the first day of his visit to Washington.
The Minister met with the Secretary of the Interior and Head of the US National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC), Doug Burgum, following the latter’s recent visit to Greece. The meeting came as a direct follow-up to what was discussed just a week ago, was fully oriented towards producing immediate results and constituted another milestone in the deepening of the strategic cooperation between Greece and the US in the shipbuilding and maritime sector, where Greek-owned shipping, given its primacy, can offer a lot at an extremely important juncture for the US shipbuilding industry. At the center of the discussion was the key issue of LNG production from America, which, as V. Kikilias underlined, is transported by the Greek-owned fleet – the strongest fleet in the world – with stability, security and reliability all over the world, to allies and friends.
The meeting (in the presence of the Ambassador of Greece, Ms. Katerina Nasika) was also attended by the Executive Director of the US National Energy Sovereignty Council (NEDC), Jarrod Agen, and the NEDC’s Senior Policy Advisor, Brittany Kelm, who subsequently welcomed Mr. Kikilias to the Council’s facilities at the White House.
The Minister also met with Joshua Volz, Deputy Assistant Secretary, US Department of Energy, at the US Department of Energy. Mr. Kikilias highlighted the crucial role played by Greece’s position at the crossroads of important geostrategic energy projects, such as the Vertical Corridor. The discussion focused on strategic investment partnerships linking shipping, energy and shipyards and the mutually beneficial outcomes that the two countries can achieve in these sectors.
Mr. Kikilias had a very interesting discussion with the Chief of Staff, Mr. Sam Mulopoulos, and the Deputy Chief of Staff, Ms. Zoe Sofos, of the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR). There was an exchange of views on the measures announced by the USTR regarding the expected imposition of port service fees on specific categories of ships and the decisive role of Greek shipping at a global level was underlined.
The Minister also had a very warm meeting with Senator Jerry Moran, an extremely experienced politician, elected in the state of Kansas since 2010. He thanked him for his friendship towards Greece, as well as for the understanding and solidarity he has shown regarding the challenges prevailing in our neighborhood. The focus of the discussion was the deepening of bilateral cooperation between Greece and the United States in the field of Shipping, given Mr. Moran’s capacity as a member of the competent Senate Committee on Commerce and Transportation.
Finally, V. Kikilias attended a reception held in honor of the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew, with the guest of honor being Mike Johnson, Speaker of the US House of Representatives (Speaker of the House) and the host being John S. Koudounis, Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, President & CEO of Calamos Investments.
