OREANDA-NEWS. The Greek government stands up for the presence of the American military contingent in Greece. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the country, Nikos Dendias, during a discussion in the Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Foreign Affairs of an agreement on defense cooperation with the United States, RIA Novosti reports.

The Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement (MDCA) between Greece and the United States was signed on October 14, 2021. According to the document, four military bases on Greek territory should be transferred to the use of American troops. The agreement will be valid for five years, after which time it will be indefinite.

According to Dendias, the Greek government initially considered the possibility of concluding an agreement with Washington for 10 years.

“We want the US military presence in the country… We wanted, we wanted their presence in Thrace, we wanted it… We want the US military presence in the port of Alexandroupolis, yes. And we want it to be in Yannuli's camp too, yes. We want it,” said the head of the Greek Foreign Ministry.

He stressed that this decision is the most correct, since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during telephone conversations with his American counterpart Joe Biden, expressed concern about the creation of new bases near Turkey.

Last week, the Romanian president approved the entry of a Stryker battalion and a US fighter squad into the country.