Wrote: Festim Rizanaj
In the debate show "Pressing" on T7 television, broadcast last night on February 25, it was claimed that the US military base in Greece will be closed.
This claim was made by one of the panelists, Dardan Islami, referring to media reports, according to which the base in question has been closed. (here)
However, this statement has been denied by Donald Trump himself, who has denied reports of a US military withdrawal from Greece.
What did Dardan Islami say in Pressing?
Analyst Dardan Islami, referring to media reports, stated that the US military base in Alexandroupolis, Greece, is being closed, describing it as a key strategic point for military landings in the region, while claiming that this decision was made by President Donald Trump himself.
"I see news in the newspaper today that the American base in Alexandroupolis in Greece is closing, which was a very large base, a port where the landings take place...it was calculated, there are two, there was Alexandroupolis in the event of a war in Bulgaria, that is, in the Black Sea, and Romania, they have come until today, all that iron that has come from America that has been coming there for 10 years. At one point, Trump is saying today that he is closing it."
Who reported on the closure of the US military base in Greece?
The claim about the closure of the American base in Alexandroupolis was published in the Greek media, specifically in the newspaper Democracy, on February 22, where it took place on the front page of the newspaper.
The Greek newspaper's report claimed that the Trump administration made the decision to withdraw from Alexandroupolis at the request of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
What did Trump say about the claim?
Asked during a press conference at the White House (February 24), alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, about the Greek newspaper's claim Democracy Regarding the closure of the base in Alexandroupolis, Donald Trump initially said he was unaware of the report.
After being briefed by the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, he denied the claim, stating: "It is not an accurate report." (here, here)
What is the status of the base in Alexandroupolis?
Alexandroupolis is a strategic Greek port on the Aegean Sea, near the Turkish border, with an important role in facilitating the transport of military equipment to Eastern Europe. Its geographical position has made it a major logistical hub for NATO operations and US defense movements in the region.
A US defense official clarified the situation, emphasizing that the facility in Alexandroupolis is a Greek installation, used in accordance with the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement (MDCA), and not a US base.
"There is no US base in Alexandroupolis. It is a Greek facility to which the US has access under the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement," a US defense official told Anadolu Agency"It serves simply as a transportation hub for moving American equipment in and out of Europe."
The official added that US transportation personnel are periodically deployed to the facility to manage the arrivals and departures of equipment, but stressed that the facility is not a permanent US military base and is not subject to closure by the US government. (here)
Analyze:
On the debate show "Pressing", analyst Dardan Islami, referring to media reports, stated that the American military base in Alexandroupolis, Greece, is being closed.
However, this claim was denied by Donald Trump himself, who disputed reports that spoke of a military withdrawal from Greece.
Based on its work methodology, hibrid.info considers this claim to be "unverified content".
Reasoning:
The "Unverified" rating is given to those informative contents that do not provide sufficient information to confirm the claims made in the report, and which could not be verified due to certain circumstances (speed, lack of sources) during the publication of the content.