ATHENS — "Sadly, and in compliance with U.S. and Greek government regulations to control the spread of COVID-19, the United States Mission to Greece will not be holding our July 4th reception this year," the US Embassy spokesperson said on Thursday.

"The Greek government and people deserve great credit for effectively mitigating the pandemic and we are committed to doing our part here at the Embassy to support that success," he added.

"As we celebrate 200 years of friendship between our two countries during the Greek bicentennial this year, it is a time to reflect on the tremendous progress we’ve made. We continue to make ever greater strides in our security and defense cooperation, energy, trade and investment, and the extraordinary people-to-people ties, based on shared democratic values that are the unshakeable bedrock of our partnership. We’ve shown that despite the unprecedented challenges we’ve faced, the sky is the limit for what the United States and Greece can accomplish together," according to the spokesperson.

"We very much look forward to celebrating our Independence Day in Greece next year the way we have done for decades – surrounded by Greek and American friends coming together to celebrate “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness," he underlined.