Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos met in an extremely warm climate today with the Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, Edward Royce.
During their hour-long meeting, Mr. Venizelos presented to Mr. Royce the priorities of the Hellenic Presidency of the Council of the EU and briefed him on Greece’s progress with its adjustment program and its related achievements in the economic sector.
Mr. Venizelos then exchanged views with Mr. Royce on major foreign policy issues of both bilateral and multilateral interest, with emphasis on the Cyprus issue, issues of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Greek-Turkish and EU-Turkish relations, the delimitation of maritime zones in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, and the situation in Syria and in the wider region of the Middle East and North Africa.
Mr. Venizelos will also meet with representatives of the Greek American community, as well as with American Jewish organizations.
Finally, Mr. Venizelos will meet later today with the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Robert Menendez.
Tomorrow, Mr. Venizelos will meet with the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Jack Lew, and have talks with Secretary of State John Kerry.
Following his talks with Mr. Kerry, Mr. Venizelos will attend a working luncheon with executives from U.S. think tanks.
January 16, 2014