Washington 'cultivating Greece as anchor of stability,' says Mitchell

US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell told Congress's Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday that Washington is "constructing a long-term strategy to bolster the US presence in the Eastern Mediterranean."

To this end, "we are cultivating Greece as an anchor of stability in the Mediterranean and Western Balkans and working to systematically strengthen security and energy cooperation with Cyprus," he stressed.

Asked about Turkey, Mitchell said that "our immediate concerns are to… prevent Turkey's purchase of the Russian S-400 system; and to develop a modus vivendi for our respective forces and local partners in stabilizing Northern Syria and preventing ISIS's return."

The American official also said that securing the release by Turkish authorities of an American pastor, Andrew Brunson, and other unjustly detained US citizens...