WASHINGTON | US President Joe Biden and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis assured the White House on Monday that relations between the two countries had “never been better”.
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The Greek leader, who was received in the Oval Office, told reporters his visit was “an opportunity to take stock of our relationship, which I don’t think has ever been better.”
“Me too,” agreed Joe Biden, who said the partnership between the two countries was “more important than ever.”
The Democratic President said the founding fathers of the American nation were inspired by the great thinkers of democracy in ancient Greece, while Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed that American independence was a benchmark in the struggle for Greek independence that began in 1821.
Joe Biden receives the head of the Greek executive branch to mark the belated bicentennial of independence.
In particular, the two leaders need to discuss Ukraine’s support for Russia and NATO, of which Greece is a member.
Their meeting comes as Turkey threatens to oppose Sweden and Finland joining the Atlantic alliance.
Turkey and Greece pledged to “focus on what unites them” after invading Ukraine, but their relationship regularly goes through turbulence, with Ankara and Athens regularly accusing each other of violating territorial waters and airspace.