Η 6th meeting of the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation (P-TEC), which took place at Zappeion (6-7/11/2025), with the participation of the US Department of Energy, the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy, and the Atlantic Council's Global Energy Center, marks a new chapter in relations between Greece and the United States in the field of energy cooperation.
It puts Greece at the center of Europe's energy security and transatlantic cooperation., reflecting its recognition as a pillar of stability and an energy player in the Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Europe, at a time when energy security has become a matter of utmost geopolitical priority.
The choice of Athens for this year's P-TEC meeting was not accidental. It reflects the strategic importance that the US attaches to Greece as a stable ally and secure hub in the EU and NATO region..
At the same time, marks Greece's full integration into a transatlantic framework of cooperation on energy, investment, and technological innovation, with countries in Central and Eastern Europe seeking to reduce their energy dependence on Russia.
Through the agreements signed, the United States is institutionalizing its presence on the European energy map through Greece, combining geographical and geopolitical importance, institutional and political stability, and reliability as an ally.
In this context, the first long-term LNG supply contract between DEPA and the American company Venture Global, as well as the activation of hydrocarbon exploration in the Ionian Sea by ExxonMobil and HELLENiQ Energy, are milestones that transform the country into a hub for energy entry and production in Europe.
These developments significantly upgrade Greece's geopolitical role in the wider region., ensure the country's energy sufficiency and confirm its strategic choice to act as a transporter and regulator of energy flows to the Balkans and Central Europe.
For the US, Greece is now becoming a strategic partner in the Mediterranean. Not only in the field of energy, but also in the broader context of transatlantic security.
Furthermore, The energy agreement between Greece and the US constitutes a strong political vote of confidence by President Donald Trump in the Greek government., reinforcing and legitimizing Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' strategy for energy independence, diversification of sources and transformation of Greece into a key player in the new European energy map.
In this context, Greece can leverage energy security as a means of exercising power and transform itself from a passive recipient of energy resources into a regulator of energy flows, shaping regional balances.
In particular, through Vertical Axis (Vertical Gas Corridor), Greece will channel natural gas to Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine, replacing Russian flows. This development strengthens its political and diplomatic role, giving Athens a position that far exceeds the limits of a regional economy.
Furthermore, Greece emerges as the natural vehicle for the transatlantic energy strategy in the Eastern Mediterranean, leveraging its geographical position and international alliances to shape a new framework for cooperation and stability.
Athens is strengthening its position through multilateral frameworks such as the 3+1 initiative (Greece – Cyprus – Israel + USA), which constitute a pillar of energy cooperation and geopolitical stability in the region, connecting the deposits of the Eastern Mediterranean with European markets via Greek infrastructure.
Greece, therefore, is no longer a «final recipient» of energy. It is a producer, hub, and strategic regulator of energy security in Southeast Europe.
Of particular importance is Turkey's exclusion from the new energy networks being formed in Southeast Europe.
Despite Ankara's persistent efforts to promote itself as a key corridor for the transport of energy resources from East to West, developments reveal its gradual marginalization from transatlantic energy initiatives.
Its aggressive rhetoric, distancing itself from the West, and revisionist ambitions in the Eastern Mediterranean, undermine its credibility as a transit hub and reinforce Greece's position as a stable and institutionally reliable partner for the EU and the US.
At the same time, Turkey is gradually losing its ability to influence decisions on energy networks in the region, its role as a strategic transport hub is being limited, and its negotiating power at European and transatlantic level is being undermined.
Its prospects for participating in new hydrocarbon investments and energy transport infrastructure are significantly limited, while Greece is establishing itself as a key player in ensuring energy stability in Southeast Europe and the Mediterranean.
Its inability to join networks such as the Vertical Axis or the 3+1 initiative (Greece–Cyprus–Israel + US) also weakens its position as a strategic player in the Eastern Mediterranean and proves that Ankara no longer controls energy flows to Europe.
Furthermore, recent Greek initiatives, such as the agreement with Chevron for hydrocarbon exploration and drilling south of Crete, essentially de facto invalidate Turkey's claims to control the Eastern Mediterranean through the illegal Turkish-Libyan memorandum.
At the same time, Israeli plans to build a pipeline to transport Israeli natural gas to Europe via Cyprus and Greece reinforce Greece's role as an energy hub, completely bypassing Turkey, they are abandoning the “Blue Homeland” strategy and making it clear that Turkey is no longer necessary for the transport of natural gas to Europe.
At the same time, the economic implications for Turkey of recent energy and geopolitical developments cannot be ignored.
In particular, Turkey faces serious challenges in terms of energy security and diversification of its suppliers, with the result that it remains heavily dependent on Russia. to cover a large part of its energy needs.
On the contrary, Greece, through its strategic partnerships with the US, ensures long-term LNG supplies and access to high-level expertise.
At the same time, Turkey is losing important economic and geopolitical resources due to its inability to participate in new energy developments and transport networks in the region. Its energy isolation reinforces the feeling that Ankara is losing ground in an area that it previously considered a strategic tool of influence, something that is reflected in the irritation expressed in recent statements by President Tayyip Erdoğan.
Specifically, in his speech at 41st Session of the Economic and Commercial Cooperation Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (ISEDAK), Turkish President complained that «The island of Cyprus is being added to the menu of the new imperialist game being planned in the region.». He even called on the member states of the Organization to «strengthen their solidarity with the Turkish Cypriot people» and to support «their struggle for rights, freedom, and justice on the basis of a two-state solution,» emphasizing that «Turkey, as their mother country and guarantor power, will never leave them alone.».
At the same time, in a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity of Libya, Abdulhamid Dibebe, Mr. Erdogan repeated the importance of bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, assuring, that Ankara «will continue to protect the rights and interests of Turkey and Libya in the Eastern Mediterranean.».
All of the above factors contribute to a gradual geopolitical decline for Turkey, which sees its initiatives limited to the regional level, while Greece emerges as a reliable energy and strategic partner of the West.
Furthermore, the recent European Commission Report on Turkey confirms the above claim. Specifically, the Report accuses Ankara of continuing to challenge Greece's sovereign rights in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, while failing to actively contribute to the formation of a sustainable and fair solution to the Cyprus issue. At the same time, Turkey's departure from the fundamental principles of the rule of law, its regression in the field of human rights, and the lack of progress in its relations with the EU are highlighted.
In these remarks, which clearly reflect the EU's lack of trust and distrust towards Turkey, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded by describing the report as «unfounded, biased, and prejudiced.».
In this light, and despite the misleading narratives that have been circulating in Greece for a long time by politicians, public figures, and the media, on Turkey's «geopolitical upgrade» and Greece's «geopolitical downgrade», reality proves them wrong and exposes them irrevocably.
Ankara is experiencing gradual isolation and loss of influence, while Greece is steadily consolidating its role as an institutionally reliable and strategically upgraded partner of the West in the Eastern Mediterranean.
One A prime example of this geostrategic upgrade is the recent energy agreement between Greece and Ukraine..
Through the agreement signed at the Maximos Mansion between DEPA Trading and Ukraine's Naftogaz, Greece is taking on the role of natural gas supplier to Ukraine for the first time, ensuring stable flows of American LNG through the Vertical Corridor.
This development reinforces not only the energy but also the economic dimension of the cooperation, as the benefits of the agreement are expected to be felt immediately.
Specifically, Ukrainian President Zelensky's decision to purchase LNG via Greece vindicates the strategic choice made by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Greece to strongly support Ukraine's defense and struggle against Russia's illegal invasion. Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Greece to strongly support Ukraine's defense and struggle against Russia's illegal invasion..
Now, Greece gains the upper hand in Ukraine's energy supply and prepares to play a decisive role in the country's reconstruction after the end of the war..
It is no coincidence, after all, that international media such as Politico note that Greece is the first EU country to actively participate in the plan to make Europe independent of Russian natural gas, effectively adopting the US energy agenda.
With this agreement, Greece ceases to be a simple corridor and becomes strategic energy transit hub, while strengthening its position in a region where Turkey sees its already limited regional influence shrinking further, dramatically underscoring the reversal of the geopolitical balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In conclusion, the Zappeion agreements (November 6–7, 2025) and the Maximos Mansion (November 16, 2025), are not only important bilateral initiatives, but are at the heart of a new geopolitical reality.
Greece is no longer on the periphery of the energy map and is becoming a crucial link in the transatlantic axis.
This is a geopolitical cross-section which confirms Greece's role as a guarantor of Europe's energy security, a reliable partner of the US, and a factor of stability in an unstable region.
In a time of uncertainty and instability, Greece is emerging as a country that does not merely follow developments, but influences and shapes them, strengthening its international influence and geopolitical footprint.
Η geopolitical value of agreements is therefore twofold: energy and politics.
Greece is no longer a passive link in the chain of developments, but a decisive factor in the new European and transatlantic security architecture placing it at the center of international developments.
Author of the article:
Political Scientist – International Relations Specialist
Former Director General - Directorate General
National Defense and International Relations Policy (GDPAAD)
Ministry of National Defense (YPETHA)
