John Barrasso Questions Ambassador To Greece Nom Kimberly Guilfoyle About Greece's Energy Sector

Forbes Breaking News

During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Wednesday, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) asked President Trump's nominee to be Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle about Greece's liquified natural gas industry.

Transcript

00:00I look forward to working with you. Thank you.

00:02Senator Barrasso.

00:04Thanks, Mr. Chairman.

00:06To follow up, Ms. Guilfoyle, on what you were just talking about

00:08with the NATO and the importance of the relationship

00:10and how closely we are aligned.

00:12There's a military build,

00:14naval support activity,

00:16Suda Bay, vital

00:18U.S. military installation.

00:20There's going to be updates. I think

00:22$44 million has been committed

00:24to invest in new joint mobility

00:26processing center in that area.

00:28Can you just overall give us some things, what opportunities

00:30you see for increased cooperation

00:32with Greece as these

00:34upgrades are completed, because you, I think,

00:36appropriately called attention to the fact that

00:38all of these countries have now committed to

00:40going up to 5%. They have, which I think

00:42is incredibly important. I was committed to

00:44at the Alliance and at The Hague, and that is something

00:46that I know that these countries have intentionality

00:48to fulfill and to continue

00:50that commitment that they made to us.

00:52Thank you for bringing up these questions,

00:54Senator. Suda Bay, yes, as you know,

00:56the largest U.S. military base in Greece,

00:58it is strategically and geopolitically

01:00critical to the United States.

01:02It's been a really wonderful

01:04asset for us, for our military base,

01:06especially in that area of the world.

01:08So we're going to continue to look forward

01:10to that and make sure, and if confirmed,

01:12I plan to visit all of these facilities

01:14to deepen my keen

01:16understanding of the issues,

01:18the people, the needs, so that we maintain

01:20that strength for American

01:22interests and American national

01:24security. River Thusa

01:26is also incredibly important

01:28because there are incredible, unbelievable

01:30opportunities for liquid natural

01:32gas, which could be crucial to

01:34limit the influence, undue influence

01:36in the region of Russia,

01:38of China, and make sure that we

01:40push back on that on a daily basis.

01:42There are certain things that have happened that

01:44have been very disheartening as it relates

01:46to national security in the

01:48Port of Piraeus, where the Chinese were

01:50allowed to gain access and purchase that.

01:52What I'm proud to say is the Greek people

01:54have now implemented a system

01:56that somewhat mimics what we have here

01:58in the United States, CFIUS, to prevent

02:00from foreign interests and countries

02:02encroaching on sovereign

02:04nations and buying up key

02:06national security ports and interests.

02:08So that is something that I was encouraged

02:10that that has happened recently

02:12in the past month or so, and

02:14I look forward to partnering with them to make sure

02:16that we can use some of our models of best

02:18practices in those ways to make sure

02:20that there is an over encroachment of foreign

02:22influence and interest in key ports

02:24and work with them strategically

02:26to help understand how we're able to prevent

02:28that in the United States of America.

02:30Thank you for the question.

02:31Well, I appreciate your comment about

02:32energy, because I think of energy as the

02:34master resource.

02:35Greece, I think, is quickly becoming a

02:36major energy hub in the eastern

02:38Mediterranean.

02:39You talked about LNG.

02:41They've expanded their LNG terminals.

02:43I believe earlier this year signed an agreement

02:47with Chevron and Exxon Mobil to do more.

02:50So just generally, would you give us a little

02:52thought on American energy companies in

02:55Greece's energy sector and how will you support

02:58and encourage this effort for more energy?

03:01Yes.

03:02Great opportunities, as I mentioned, exist with

03:04Revathusa, with the LNG terminal, which is key to

03:07that regional energy strategy.

03:09also in Alexandrupli, the LNG terminal, that's

03:12essential for U.S. energy exports and for

03:15Balkan access.

03:16So this is, again, why I would like to just stress

03:19the importance of Greece, the seriousness of

03:21this position, the opportunity we have to

03:24grow and strengthen the alliance and the bond

03:27between the Greek Americans and the United States

03:30of America and those living, working, visiting

03:33in Greece to ensure their safety, productivity,

03:36and make sure that their needs are met.

03:38And I really look forward to working with the

03:40absolutely incredible people that are so talented

03:42in the State Department and the careers and the

03:44people that are currently serving in the embassy

03:46working tirelessly to ensure that American

03:49interests are represented and to work for

03:51President Trump to effectuate his goals, his

03:54beliefs for the United States of America.

03:58Mr. Bartos, the U.S. is the United Nations'

04:01largest financial contributor, provides more funding

04:05than all other permanent Security Council members combined.

04:08I hear about that in Wyoming a lot.

04:11People aren't really happy with this.

04:13Despite this significant investment, the U.N. has

04:15struggled to implement meaningful budgetary

04:17discipline to demonstrate consistent fiscal

04:20accountability.

04:21I think next week this committee is going to have a

04:23hearing with the nominee to be our U.S. Ambassador to the

04:25United Nations.

04:27U.S. contribution represents about 22% of the U.N.'s total budget.

04:32How are you going to ensure that the financial burdens at the U.N.

04:35are shared more equitably and in accordance with current economic

04:39realities?

04:40And are you committed to limiting the growth of U.N. regular budget

04:43and ensuring that the U.N. makes more efficient use of its existing resources?

04:47Senator, thank you for the question.

04:49As you stated, the United States – the generosity of the American people

04:54knows almost no bounds.

04:55We have been the most generous supporter of the United Nations system

04:58since it was founded 80 years ago, and we are the most generous nation on

05:01earth, and proudly so.

05:03But our fellow citizens, all Americans, deserve to know that every dollar

05:08that they send, every hard-earned dollar that an American taxpayer sends

05:11to the U.N. must not, cannot go to any – a dollar, a penny cannot go to waste,

05:16fraud, and abuse, and every dollar must go to support programs and policies

05:22that make our nation safer, stronger, and more prosperous.

05:27If confirmed, I will devote all of my energies.

05:31We're 22% of the regular budget, as you say, sir.

05:34We're 25% of the peacekeeping budget, limited by statute.

05:38The U.N. seeks to assess us at 26.1%.

05:42And so it's incumbent upon my role, if confirmed, on the Fifth Committee

05:47and Budget and Oversight to root out all of this waste and to make – and really,

05:52and I said this before, with President Trump's leadership, with the Secretary's leadership

05:57and their charge to us, if confirmed, our team will have that presidential leadership

06:01to go there and make sure that those reforms are implemented.

06:05Our dollars carry a lot of weight, but over the last 80 years, they haven't – as you say,

06:09they actually haven't really been put to the best use by the system into the United States' interests.

06:15We need to do better. We must do better. And I commit to you, sir, if confirmed, I will – we will do better.

06:20Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

06:22Senator Booker.

Category

Transcript

Recommended