Russia and the Middle East in focus on Rubio’s European tour

The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, will visit Iceland, Greece and Portugal from 5 to 8 October, for talks on security, defence, energy, economic cooperation and technology.

The visit takes place at a time when NATO allied countries are facing growing concerns about Russia’s military activity and the continuing instability in the Middle East.

Rubio will start the visit in Reykjavik, where he is expected to discuss Arctic security and economic cooperation with Icelandic officials.

He will then travel to Athens for the sixth U.S.–Greece Strategic Dialogue.

On the agenda will be defence cooperation, energy, regional security, Ukraine and the Middle East.

In Lisbon, Rubio’s talks will focus on defence, economic development and cooperation in the field of technology, according to the announcement by the U.S. Department of State.

The three stops reflect different areas of U.S. cooperation with NATO allies — from Iceland’s role in the security of the North Atlantic and the Arctic, to Greece’s position in the Eastern Mediterranean and Portugal’s long-term importance for U.S. military operations in the Atlantic.