The President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou expressed her confidence that Greek-US relations will become even stronger during the Presidency of Joe Biden.
Sakellaropoulou and US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt attended a special event at the ancient Athenian Agora to mark the inauguration of Biden as the 46th President of the United States.
"The long friendship between our peoples dates back to the close relationship between the American and Greek revolutions. The 200th anniversary of 1821 is an occasion to honour our ties. Let us remember the admiration of the American Philhellenes for our unequal struggle, in which some of them, brave and selfless, took an active part," she said.
"The anniversary of the revolution of 1821 is an opportunity to reflect on our collective selves and to deepen our democracy. To reflect on our successes and mistakes. To draw strength from the self-sacrifice and example of our ancestors. Unity and sympathy, our commitment to the common good, is the most resounding message of our celebrations."
On Instagram, Sakellaropoulou posted: "In the ancient market of Athens, the place with the highest symbolic value for democracy, on an important day for the USA and the international community. I wish good luck to President @joebiden and Vice President @kamalaharris."
"These relations are honoured today by the campaign "Greece-US: Celebrating 200 Years of Friendship", on the occasion of the anniversary of the revolution of 1821. A commendable initiative of Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, with a variety of activities, cultural and educational, throughout our festive year," she added.
On his part, Ambassador Pyatt highlighted that "President-elect Biden is a friend of Greece who knows this country and its people well. The President-elect’s national security team has broad experience in this region and is deeply committed to our transatlantic relationship."
"With today’s historic inauguration and the peaceful transfer of power it entails, we turn a new page in the United States, and we look forward to Greece’s bicentennial and the upcoming year as an opportunity to reaffirm our shared democratic values and converging strategic interests," Pyatt concluded.
On a historic day at home, I was honored to join @PresidencyGR at the Athenian Agora where the democratic values that bind us together were first conceived. Thank you to the team at @ERTsocial for capturing it so well. https://t.co/btfhD9bOPh
— Geoffrey Pyatt (@USAmbPyatt) January 20, 2021
*More on GCT: Joe Biden’s swearing in: What does the new administration bring to Greece and the world?
