ATHENS – As he does with whatever government is in power, US Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt – who has repeatedly said Greece is “a pillar of stability” ha now lauded the country as a real friend and good example in the region.

He told the Washington, D.C. Center for European Policy Analysis in an online panel that,  Greece had “demonstrated its commitment to investing in cooperative relations across a broad region where the United States is involved in a global competition, and where we’re looking for friends and allies.”

He added: “Greece has emerged as a really critical American ally, both because we have a shared vision for building peace, stability, economic prosperity, on issues of energy and climate where our interests converge completely, but also because of our shared values and the foundation of a commitment to democracy that is held so deeply both in the United States and in Greece,” said Kathimerini.

Pyatt had equally praised the former ruling Radical Left SYRIZA that came into power as anti-American, vowing to get Greece out of NATO and end any American military presence before cozying up to the US even more.

Pyatt said there is a “systematic effort” of the ruling New Democracy – as there was with SYRIZA – “to build new relations with Israel, with Cyprus, but also other key players in the Eastern Med and the Middle East – Lebanon, UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Libya,” and work with them.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has gotten even closer to the US, seeking to add a bigger military presence and more bases to go along with a US Naval Base in Souda Bay on Crete.