US Election: Greece Congratulates Joe Biden, Kamala Harris

Photo source: @JoeBiden

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis congratulated President-elect Joe Biden on his victory in the 2020 US presidential election on Saturday.

After Democrats secured 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House, Joe Biden is emerging as the 45th President of the United States, defeating incumbent Donald Trump in the election race.

“Congratulations to US President-Elect [Joe Biden],” the Greek PM tweeted after the result emerged and added “Joe Biden has been a true friend of Greece and I’m certain that under his presidency the relationship between our countries will grow even stronger.”

Congratulations to US President-Elect @JoeBiden.

Joe Biden has been a true friend of Greece and I’m certain that under his presidency the relationship between our countries will grow even stronger. 🇬🇷🇺🇸

— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) November 7, 2020

Kamala Harris made history as the first female, first woman of color and first Asian-American US vice-president-elect.

The President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou congratulated on twitter both Biden and Harris for their achievement, adding “Looking forward to extending our cooperation and friendship under your presidency. Welcoming the US again to the Paris Agreement on climate change is the first step!”.

Congratulations to @JoeBiden, new President-Elect of the USA and @KamalaHarris, first female Vice-President. Looking forward to extending our cooperation and friendship under your presidency. Welcoming the US again to the #ParisAgreement on climate change is the first step!

— President GR (@PresidencyGR) November 7, 2020

It should be noted that Joe Biden has referred to himself as a “Greek” on many occassions and in 2009, as Vice President of the United States, during an event on March 25, he declared himself as an “honorary Greek.”

Joe Biden’s vision for Greek Americans and U.S.-Greece Relations

In October, Biden’s staff issued a statement outlining the campaign plans for the Greeks living in America and Greece-US relations in the event that the Democratic nominee was elected as president.

Photo source: @JoeBiden

“Throughout his many years in public life, Joe Biden has a long record of engagement on issues important to Greek-Americans and a record of support for strengthening the U.S.-Greece relationship. He has worked personally with Greek leaders over many decades to strengthen the alliance. As President, Joe Biden will be committed to a strong dialogue with both Greek-American leaders and the leadership of Greece to sustain the bond between our countries,” the statement said.

The statement reminded that among other things, Biden:
– “…took the lead in urging that the U.S. government support Greece during its financial crisis”
– “…recently called on the Trump Administration to press Turkey to refrain from further provocative actions in the region against Greece including threats of force”
– “…has long been a strong supporter of the Ecumenical Patriarchate”
– “…criticized the recent decision of the Turkish government to convert the Hagia Sophia into a mosque”

Moreover, the statement said that if Biden was elected as president the US will work closely with “…ally Greece to advance stability in the eastern Mediterrean” and “…call out Turkish behavior that is in violation of international law or that contravenes its commitments as a NATO ally, such as Turkish violations of Greek airspace”.

Biden, 77, was first elected to the US senate in 1972 and served as Barack Obama’s vice-president for eight years.