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Rubio says West must choose between national power or decline / Photo: © AFP
Rubio says West must choose between national power or decline
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday insisted on the US right to flex its "national power" in a fiery speech in Athens and said that Europe had to "awaken from its long slumber."
"We are at an inflection point... not only in the history of my nation but an inflection point in the whole of our civilisation," Rubio said in a speech beneath the Acropolis.
"Either we choose to act now, or lose the choice to act at all," the top US diplomat said.
The United States under President Donald Trump has made its choice, according to Rubio.
"We choose the unapologetic pursuit of national power: to take back control of our critical supply chains, to reindustrialise our economy, to rebuild our defence, to fight for dominance of the technologies and industries of the future," he said.
"There is new competition between great powers again. There is vulnerability, aggression, terrorism, a whole universe of new threats and attacks again," Rubio said.
"We must rebuild our institutions and our alliances to face these threats together," he said.
Rubio said that in Europe he saw encouraging signs of what Washington hoped "will be the beginning of a generational shift, skyrocketing defence spending, a flurry of new partnerships and programmes, expanded manufacturing and production."
"We believe that Europe can awaken from its long slumber and rekindle the fire that was lit here millennia ago," he said.
- 'Critical' alliance -
His speech, which was packed with praise for the ancient Greeks, followed an address in February when he argued that Europe was threatened by mass immigration and called for it to defend Christian civilisation.
Earlier Wednesday, Rubio, who arrived from Iceland as part of a European tour, underlined the "critical" US alliance with Greece.
He flagged the energy sector, and announced a joint agreement on information-sharing on drug trafficking and terrorism.
"As you see a world that faces... destabilising events, you recognise how important this alliance with Greece is to the United States," he said, referencing conflict in the Middle East and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In the Middle East, he argued that Iran had "lost complete control" of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, seeking to offer reassurance at a time when the United States is struggling to find a way out of the war just weeks before key US legislative elections.
Rubio took part Wednesday in a "strategic dialogue" with Greece on regional and energy security amid high tensions triggered by the wars in Iran and Ukraine.
He is to meet conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday evening, before departing for Lisbon on Thursday.
– US envoy controversy –
The wars in Iran and Ukraine have highlighted the fragility of energy supply routes, and Greece is positioning itself as a key hub in southeastern Europe, particularly for the transport of natural gas.
Recently opened gas pipelines and port infrastructure have enabled Greece to contribute to the energy corridor through eastern Europe to Ukraine.
Rubio's visit comes as US media has in recent days reported on possible conflicts of interest involving the US ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle.
Several Democrats have accused Guilfoyle -- a former fiancee of Trump's son, Donald Jr -- of promoting the commercial interests of a Greek construction and energy company during official diplomatic engagements.
Asked about this, Rubio refused to answer, but reiterated his support for the former Fox News presenter.
E.Jones--SFF
