WASHINGTON (ANA-MPA/P. Kasfikis) –
Kimberly Guilfoyle, the US President’s nominee for Ambassador to Greece, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday that she intended to focus on the protection of Greece, Cyprus, and Israel, the strong and staunch US allies in the critical geopolitical region of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Addressing the committee during confirmation hearings, Guilfoyle said her main focus as Ambassador should be on what the US intended to do in this region, which was so urgent for the national security of the United States, and how America could protect its strong allies of Cyprus, Israel, and Greece.
She also referred to the critical issue of a possible reinclusion of Türkiye in the F-35 program, saying that the neighboring country has been excluded from acquiring them due to its own choices. Responding to a question by the committee chairman, Senator Jim Risch, Guilfoyle said that as he had mentioned, Türkiye was excluded form acquiring F-35s by law, after having chosen to collaborate with the Russians to buy their S-400 defense system.
During the hearing, the nominee also compared Greece and Türkiye, presenting Greece as a strong and unwavering ally that always responded to challenges and exceeded expectations. She clarified to senators that she was expressing personal opinions as a citizen and was looking forward to expanding her knowledge about the specific issues, while following directions by the US president and working with American Ambassador Tom Barrack in Ankara. She said she had a very close working relationship with Barrack in Türkiye, having known him for a very long time, and a very close relationship with former ambassador to Athens George Tsunis. She said these ties would be decisive in ensuring that she would be prepared and be able to exceed expectations as envoy to Greece from the very first day.
