Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told the Wall Street Journal in an all-encompassing interview that overall for Greece, the United States was the best strategic ally in the region.
He was in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly and making media rounds, as well as attending events with community leaders and major corporations. He also held bilateral talks with other leaders, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
During the Wall Street Journal interview, Tsipras admitted the “strangeness” of his government’s closeness with the United States.
Traditionally, historically and culturally leftists in Greece have been vehemently anti-American. Tsipras himself was a young anti-American activist during the 1990s and when then President Bill Clinton visited Greece.
“Our cooperation and our relations with the U.S. are better than ever. Maybe this is strange, but it’s true,” Mr. Tsipras said in the interview.
“If we want to protect our national interest, upgrade the role of the country, and make it part of the solution not part of the problem—as it was three years ago—this mean we should create alliances. And the best strategic ally in the region is the U.S.,” he added.
The full Wall Street Journal story is here.
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