How does the Greek geography play a role in relationships with other countries?

Greece's location is the primary geographic advantage that affects its relationship with other countries.  With thousands of miles of coastline, the country offers the potential for naval bases in an important region of the world. Greece is a gateway of sorts from Europe to Asia and the Middle East.  The country has friendly relations with all of the powerful countries in the world because of its location which provides it significant leverage. The United States has an important naval base on the island of Crete which is important for its continued presence in the Middle East. This benefits Greece because the United States has pledged to protect Greece, allowing the Greeks to spend their resources outside of the military.

The importance of its location in the Mediterranean Sea has is also important to Russia, which is faced with the possibility of its base in Syria being rendered useless because of civil war. Russia has even considered pledging billions of dollars in aid in exchange for a naval base on Greek land.