It is a great pleasure for me to be here in Thrace today, at the port of Alexandroupolis. First of all, the port of Alexandroupolis is a big bet for the Greek government, for the Mitsotakis government, but also for the Thracian society as a whole, and for the Greek society.
From the beginning, in 2019, we set three guiding pillars. The first one is defence. That, I believe, is fully served through the two Agreements we signed with the US, the MDCA and its amendment. The port of Alexandroupolis has been included in the planning, and thus serves, in the truest sense, the Greek, national interest.
Apart from that, there is a trade and economic aspect. This port will evolve, will become a port of entry into Central and Eastern Europe, and play an extremely important role for the city and the region in the years to come.
And the third aspect, which is in no respect less important, is energy. The new liquefied natural gas terminal that will be built a few miles from here and the interconnection with TAP, will result in Alexandroupolis, and Thrace, becoming a new energy hub. And this as a whole serves the new vision for our country. A country interconnected, with strong defence capacity, sovereign, with a bright economic future in a prosperous Europe.
December 10, 2021