SOUDA, Greece — US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrapped up his visit to Greece in a thank-you tweet to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who hosted him at his family home near the Souda military base in NW Crete they had toured earlier on Tuesday.

"Ευχαριστώ to the prime minister of Greece for showing me the true meaning of Greek hospitality. The U.S.-Greece relationship is built on a strong foundation of people-to-people ties, a testament to our countries' shared values and enduring friendship," Pompeo wrote in his tweet. It was accompanied by a photo showing both men, along with US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt and National Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos among others, sitting at a table at a working luncheon.

In an earlier post, Pompeo had commented on Eastern Mediterranean events, "Great to see Prime Minister Mitsotakis today on Crete. We had a constructive conversation on regional political, economic, and energy cooperation. The U.S. encourages a return to dialogue and a peaceful resolution of any disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean."

Pyatt also expressed on Twitter his gratitude to Mitsotakis "for hosting Secretary Pompeo at his home with the famous Greek hospitality I've grown to love throughout 4 years here. The US-Greece relationship enjoys full govt support on both sides of the Atlantic, based on our shared goals & historic people-to-people ties."

As the ambassador posted earlier, "Glad to return to NSA Souda Bay with Secretary Pompeo. Souda is the crown jewel of US-Greece defense & security, an important venue for day-to-day cooperation between our forces. Operations expanded during the Covid-19 pandemic, including recent visits by USS Florida & USS Woody Williams."