The US produces liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the Greek fleet, the world’s most powerful, can transport it all over the world, said the Greek minister of maritime affairs and insular policy, Vasilis Kikilias, visiting Washington on Wednesday.
During the first day of his visit to the American capital Kikillias had a series of high-level meetings with US government officials and members of Congress, starting with the U.S. secretary of transportation, Sean Duffy. The two ministers agreed to continue discussions on bilateral cooperation in the shipbuilding sector.
At the center of the discussion with the US governmental officials was the key issue of growing LNG production from America, which, as Kikilias underlined, is transported by the Greek-owned fleet with stability, security and reliability all over the world, to allies and friends.
Discussions also focused on boosting Greek-US cooperation specially in the shipbuilding and maritime sector.
The focus of the discussion was on strategic investment partnerships linking shipping, energy and shipyards and the mutually beneficial outcomes that the two countries can achieve in these sectors.
The Greek 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 much at a highly important juncture for the US shipbuilding industry, according to a statement by the Greek ministry on Thursday.
The meeting, in the presence of the Ambassador of Greece Katerina Nasika, was also attended by the executive director of the National Energy Sovereignty Council (NEDC) of the United States, Jarrod Agen, and the NEDC senior policy advisor, Brittany Kelm, who subsequently welcomed Kikilias to the Council’s premises at the White House.
The minister also held a meeting with Joshua (Jos) Volz, deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy. Mr. Kikilias highlighted the crucial role played by Greece’s position, which is at the crossroads of important geostrategic energy projects, such as the Vertical Corridor.
Kikilias had a very interesting discussion with the chief of staff, Sam Mulopoulos, and the deputy chief of staff, 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 crucial role of Greek shipping at a global level was underlined.
The minister also had a very warm meeting with experienced Kansas senator Jerry Moran. He thanked him for his friendship towards Greece, as well as for the understanding and solidarity he has shown regarding the challenges prevailing in the region. The focus of the discussion was the deepening of bilateral cooperation between Greece and the United States in the field of shipping, given Moran’s capacity as a member of the competent Senate Committee on Commerce and Transportation.
Finally, 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, and the host being John S. Koudounis, Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, president and CEO of Calamos Investments.
The series of meetings was continued by the minister during the second day of his visit to Washington.
The minister met with a high-level delegation led by the head of the investment division of the US Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Conor Coleman. Kikilias was accompanied by the president and CEO of ONEX Elefsina Shipyards, P. Xenokostas. The minister stressed that the US DFC has made a significant investment in Elefsina and that this strategic partnership opens up even greater prospects for the future. Greece’s role as a reliable partner for US investments was reaffirmed, while at the same time the participants pledged to continue the discussions.
Equally important was the meeting with Jerry Hendrix, US navy captain (ret.) and head of the U.S. Office of Shipbuilding Policy, at the White House Office of Management and Budget Shipbuilding Office. There was an in-depth discussion on the possibilities of cooperation in the shipping and shipbuilding sector, as well as on the prospects for strengthening cooperation in the near term.
