Obama's visit: We intend to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Greek people
Pavlopoulos welcomed the US president to Greece and expressed the hope that Obama's successor Donald Trump will continue on the same path.
On his part Barack Obama said it is his last foreign trip as president adding "it is appropriate to visit a great country, the birthplace of democracy, the source of so many of the ideals and values that helped to build America."
"Obviously Greece has gone through very difficult economic times over the last years. It is the policy of my administration to do everything we can to work with the Greek government and the Greek people to restore growth and optimism and to alleviate hardship. We are glad to see that progress is being made and we recognize that there are significant challenges ahead. We intend to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Greek people," Obama stressed.
Obama also said that he was looking forward to visiting the Acropolis.
The US president praised Greece for "the humanitarian and compassionate manner" it has dealt with the refugee crisis and clarified that questioning the Lausanne Treaty is 'inconceivable' and would undermine not just Greek borders but EU borders.
Referring to NATO, he said it is “absolutely vital” and the “cornerstone of security,” while referring to EU he stressed that is it not only good for Greece but also for Europe.