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Deepening of ties hailed in Biden-PM call

Deepening of ties hailed in Biden-PM call

The confirmation of the strategic nature of the relationship between Greece and the US, the further deepening of bilateral ties and the strengthening of cooperation on defense formed the premise of the phone call between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the occasion of the bicentenary of the Greek Revolution on Thursday.

The call lasted 35 minutes, and, as expected, far exceeded the festive agenda of the day, running the gamut of regional issues.

Biden invited Mitsotakis to visit Washington, with government spokesperson Aristotelia Peloni saying on Friday this would take place in the current year. In a statement, the White House highlighted defense cooperation with a clear reference to the Souda base on Crete, and the hope for stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. It also made a very clear hint about the influence of Russia and China in the region. In this context, Biden raised the issue of energy security and the Western Balkans.

For its part, the Greek PM’s Office pointed out that Biden stressed, among other things, that today Greece is a critical NATO ally, active in the promotion of peace and prosperity in the regions of the Eastern Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Western Balkans.

Mitsotakis expressed Greece’s readiness for close cooperation with the US in international fora, aimed at defending the common values of the two countries, with emphasis on human rights and the fight against climate change. 

Meanwhile, the European Council wrapped up its summit on Thursday, deferring any important decisions on Turkey to the June meeting of EU leaders, in what was seen as a compromise between those pushing a more positive agenda regarding Ankara and those wary of its behavior. Kathimerini also understands that the staffs of the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, had contacts on Friday with the Turkish authorities regarding the agenda of their planned visits to Turkey, which will most likely take place in April.

 

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