ATHENS — Regional and international issues of mutual interest, with emphasis on the Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East and Afghanistan were discussed during a meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and visiting US Senators Chris Murphy and Jon Ossoff on Monday.

According to government sources, the meeting reaffirmed the excellent level of bilateral relations between Athens and Washington and explored the possibilities for their further deepening and expansion in areas such as defence cooperation, investments in strategic infrastructure and cooperation in energy and the environment. They also discussed the government's planned reforms of the Greek state and economy.

Mitsotakis outlined the recent developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and analysed Greece's role as a pillar of stability and security in the wider region, via cooperation schemes with joint partners, such as Cyprus, Israel and Egypt. Regarding Afghanistan, the prime minister stressed that those fleeing the country should stay as close to their homes as possible.

The meeting also discussed the progress of the U.S.-Greece Defense and Interparliamentary Partnership Act that is currently in the U.S. Congress, which will strengthen Greek-US cooperation even further. It also examined the changes in the US-Greece Mutual Defence Cooperation Agreement that are currently being negotiated.

Participants in the meeting on the Greek side include Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister for Economic Diplomacy and Openness Kostas Fragogiannis, the head of the PM's diplomatic office Ambassador Eleni Sourani, deputy government spokesperson Aristotelia Peloni and the head of the PM's Economic Office Alexis Patelis. It was also attended by US Ambassador in Athens Geoffrey Pyatt.