00:00Greece share a long history of friendship and partnership and alliance. In fact, the importance
00:06of this historical alliance is highlighted by the instability in the world today that we see as a
00:11result of conflicts in Hormuz with Iran or conflicts in the Red Sea with Yemen or conflicts
00:18in Ukraine and Russia. As you see a world that faces these destabilizing events, you recognize
00:23how important this alliance with Greece is to the United States. It's both historic and historical
00:29in its foundation, but it is also critical. One thing we agree on, for example, is that the
00:35nations of Europe need to take on a greater share of the burden in defending their continent,
00:40and Greece is doing just that. They're on track to meet the commitments that have been made to
00:45spend 5% of their GDP on defense this year, with over 3.5% of their GDP being spent
00:53on core defense.
00:54Greece is also a very close and strategic partner on border security, and the fight against mass
00:59migration against fighting. They're a great ally as well on fighting transnational criminal
01:05organizations, on counter-terrorism. Due to its geography in the Mediterranean, at the crossroads
01:11of many of these transit routes, Greece is particularly exposed to the threats posed by mass migration,
01:18by human trafficking, by different forms of terror. Now, as part of our efforts to combat these common
01:25threats to our nations, we're proud to announce a new Memorandum of Understanding establishing a joint
01:31security program to strengthen the counter-terrorism information sharing between our respective law
01:37enforcement agencies. Beyond the scope of military operations, because that is not the only part of
01:42our relationship that is important, Greece is an important partner in securing the alliance's
01:46economic future as well. It plays a vital role in global commerce in a variety of ways,
01:51in a variety of industries. For example, we share a mutual intent to deepen our collaboration on
01:58emerging technology, and we intend to expand U.S. LNG imports and building new gas and electricity
02:04interconnectors that strengthen regional energy security and our respective bilateral energy
02:09infrastructure. And finally, we're working together to combat antiquities trafficking into the United
02:15States, which finances criminal organizations and harms the U.S. art market. This is an
02:21important initiative to both of our countries, as we in the U.S. value the artifacts of our Western
02:26ancestors just as much as the modern Greeks do.
