H.E. American Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle has been in Greece for just ten days - she arrived in Athens on Saturday, November 1, by private flight, as protocol requires - and is already the talk of the town, as an infinite amount of "digital" and real ink has been consumed, commenting on any issue that concerns her and of course not always with good intentions! The entire political and diplomatic world of Athens welcomed her with enthusiasm, given that she is the first woman to assume the duties of US Ambassador to Greece. And we must emphasize at this point that the interest and enthusiasm were evident, already from the first moment that the assignment of her duties was announced, last December, by President Donald Trump, of whom she is a close associate.
My personal opinion is that Ambassador Guilfoyle is a brilliant personality, a woman with a successful professional career, remarkable studies - a law degree, with a Master's degree in International Children's Rights and the Law of the European Economic Community and a Prosecutor in San Francisco and Los Angeles - but also a very interesting personal journey, with important stations, such as Fox News, where from 2006 to 2018 she was a co-host of the show The Five.[
All of this, combined with the fact that she has an impressive appearance - it is certainly no coincidence that she was also a model for the No. 1 brand Victoria's Secret - and an extremely dynamic character, fully justify the fact that the spotlight is constantly on her!
On Saturday, November 8, the Ambassador was on the emblematic island of Hydra, where she was honored with the Medal of the Municipality of Hydra and according to the Mayor of the island, George Koukoudakis, during the meeting, the close historical and cultural ties between the United States and Hydra were highlighted, honoring with this act and this statement the memory of the two American Philhellenes, William Washington and George Jarvis, who contributed significantly to the Revolutionary Action of the people of Hydra during the Struggle for Independence. The Ambassador expressed her enthusiasm for the uniqueness of the island and stated that she intends to visit it again soon.
To start things off, the new United States Ambassador to Athens was given a particularly warm welcome, however, the planned welcoming event, in Eleftherias Square, next to the Embassy building, which was scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday, 1/11, did not take place in the end, because the Greek Police banned this gathering, as well as any “related gathering”, as it is characteristically stated in its announcement, in almost the entire center of Athens, apparently fearing excessive crowd gathering and possible deviations. “The above ban is imposed as their holding poses a serious risk to public safety due to the possible commission of serious crimes,” the relevant announcement sent to the Media notes.
This fact alone highlights the climate that prevails around everything to do with Ambassador Guilfoyle, who, however, on Saturday night, a few hours after her arrival in Athens, served her role as hostess flawlessly at the celebration for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States Marine Corps, at a central Athens hotel. The following night, Sunday, November 2, Kimberly was at the nightclub “Kentro Athinon”, at the party organized in her honor by the popular Greek singer Konstantinos Argyros, with whom she had met in London, as part of a charity event of the non-profit organization “The Hellenic Initiative”, which supports actions in favor of Greece and which took place on Thursday, October 9.
On the morning of Wednesday, November 5, the Ambassador met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximos Mansion, a meeting that Kimberly herself described as “fantastic.” At the beginning of their meeting, the Prime Minister emphasized, among other things: “I officially welcome you to Greece, on behalf of the Greek Government. It is our great pleasure to welcome you. You come at a time when Greek-American relations are at an all-time high, but that does not mean that we cannot improve them further. I believe that we have a very broad agenda of issues concerning our future cooperation.” For her part, Kimberly Guilfoyle emphasized: “Thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister. I would just like to say that it is an honor and a privilege for me to be here, in your presence, in your wonderful country, in Athens, the birthplace of democracy. As you rightly pointed out, we will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. I will be honored to be the U.S. Ambassador, personal representative of President Donald Trump, when we celebrate this event together.”
The day before, Tuesday, November 4, the 25th Ambassador of the United States to the Hellenic Republic presented her Credentials to the President of the Hellenic Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas. Immediately after the ceremony, she stated, among other things:
“It was a great honor to present my Credentials to President Konstantinos Tasoulas. I am deeply honored to serve as the United States Ambassador to the Hellenic Republic and to be my country’s first female Ambassador to Greece. I look forward to working with our Greek allies to promote peace, prosperity, and security in the Eastern Mediterranean and will be a proud representative of President Trump, a strong advocate for American interests, and a steadfast friend of Greece and the Greek people.”
The past week, the first in Greece for the new Ambassador, is characterized by her as “a historic week”, as the P-TEC Conference was held, one of the goals of which was to make Greece an energy hub in the Eastern Mediterranean, through the Vertical Corridor. Specifically, the US Department of Energy, the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Greece and the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, convened the 6th meeting of the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation (P-TEC) in Athens, on November 6 & 7 at Zappeion, where leaders from the public and private sectors gathered to discuss energy security, affordable prices, as well as infrastructure projects and investment opportunities.
On Friday, November 7, as part of this Conference, the United States and Greece signed a joint Declaration on Economic Security, which reflects a new geopolitical reality, as “economic security is now an integral pillar of national security, and vice versa. The two countries committed to deepening their cooperation in multi-level partnerships that strengthen the security of supply chains, reduce forced dependencies, and promote the development of trusted technology ecosystems.” Ambassador Guilfoyle emphasized in this regard: “It is no coincidence that we chose Greece to launch this important initiative, which reaffirms our commitment to trusted technology and to building economies based on innovation. The intellectual seed that paved the way for the artificial intelligence revolution we are experiencing today was planted in Athens. The United States and Greece are proudly committed to ensuring that our supply chains - and by extension the economies that support our societies - remain secure and resilient, today and in the future."
On Tuesday, November 11, the Ambassador attended the events held for the anniversary of the end of World War I, at the Faliro War Cemetery, in honor of the fallen of the two World Wars. “I had the honor to attend, together with our French and British allies in Greece, two modest ceremonies for November 11 and the memory of the Armistice, which ended World War I. By laying wreaths together, we pay tribute to all who served and sacrificed, including more than 100.000 American soldiers who gave their lives. "This day reminds us of the price of war, the strength of our alliances, and our shared responsibility to defend peace and freedom," she emphasized in a post on Social Media.
On Thursday, November 13, Ambassador Guilfoyle met with the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Mr. Ieronymos, with her revealing that, when she was offered the position of United States Ambassador to Greece, the first person to call was the Archbishop, with whom she discussed the matter, clarifying that this played an important role in her decision to ultimately come to Athens.
In conclusion, Ambassador Guilfoyle resides in the Ambassadorial Residence, behind the American Embassy, in what is known as Jefferson House, with its magnificent gardens, elegant aesthetics, swimming pool and terrace, which harmoniously combines traditional Greek architectural elements and an aesthetic that refers to Palm Beach, Florida. The spaces of the residence were renovated, not only in view of the arrival of Ms. Guilfoyle, who has obviously also given her own stamp on their decoration and configuration, but mainly because they had to be made accessible for people with disabilities and our fellow citizens with mobility problems, so that during public events and celebrations (such as the 4th of July), there would be no exclusions.
It should be noted here that Ambassador Kimberly will not be living alone in Athens, as her 19-year-old only son Ronan Anthony Villency, the fruit of her second marriage to well-known businessman Eric Villency, will be settling with her in the Greek capital, while continuing his studies at the University of Miami remotely. Ronan Anthony Villency is the only son of Kimberly Guilfoyle and well-known businessman Eric Villency. Despite their divorce in 2009, his parents raised him in a collaborative environment, away from the limelight while maintaining family ties.
By Nick Step – Kimberly Guilfoyle, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=151028329 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
