Rubio argues that Europe must regain Western values

O u.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said today in Athens that Europe must awaken from its “torpor” and recover values it considers to be at the origin of Western civilization.

“ We believe that Europe can awaken from its torpor and rekindle the fire that has been lit here for millennia,” said Rubio in a speech on the Pnyx hill in front of the Acropolis of Athens.

The head of American diplomacy praised the civilization of Ancient Greece, which he presented as the cradle of democracy and inspiration for the further development of Western societies.

Rubio argued that characteristics such as curiosity, courage, ambition and spirit of exploitation, which he attributed to the Greek heritage, should once again guide Western countries.

“ It has become fashionable today to believe that an enlightened foreign policy means giving priority to the ‘global community’ over the people themselves’, said the head of American diplomacy.

According to Rubio, the ancient Greeks understood that “there was nothing selfish or wrong in loyalty to the nation itself, nor in fighting to defend its interests above all”.

“Today we are at a crossroads. The next decade will write the story of the next century,” Rubio warned, arguing that the options now taken will determine whether the West maintains its position of world leadership or accepts “a future of atrophy, servitude and decline.”.

The speech arises in a context in which the Government of the American President, Donald Trump, has accused several European countries of moving away from their traditional values and democratic principles and of relying excessively on the United States on security.

Several European governments have rejected these criticisms and, in turn, accused Washington of adopting policies contrary to the values he claims to uphold.

About 1,500 people spoke in Athens before Rubio's visit, protesting the presence of the Secretary of State and the war in Iran.

The protest was convened by a communist union and other leftist groups, and similar demonstrations were held in at least 12 other Greek cities.

Rubio is in the second stage of a visit to three NATO member countries, after passing through Iceland, and must travel to Portugal on Thursday.

The visit aims to reaffirm to the European allies the commitment of the United States to NATO security, at a time marked by differences between Washington and several European partners.