Kerry to Venizelos: You took tough decisions

American Secretary of State John Kerry expressed his solidarity with the Greek people for the recovery of the economy during his meeting Friday with Evangelos Venizelos.

Welcoming the Greek Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs at the State Department, Kerry congratulated him for the Greek Presidency of the EU, noting that "we look forward to a cooperation" to end the crisis, and for a number of issues, such as combat terrorism and issues regarding the Balkans and the Middle East.

Kerry spoke "for difficult decisions that you took that were not politically easy," and that "we will work step by step" on these issues.

Venizelos said that the U.S. are supportive in Greece's efforts to tackle the economic crisis, making reference to the performance of the Greek economy and the great sacrifices of the Greek people.

He also spoke about the importance of the Greek EU Presidency, reiterating the "close cooperation" with the U.S. and the "stability factor" played by Greece in the Balkans and the Middle East, adding that "the biggest problem of the country is the crisis.
 
Venizelos stressed the effort for "national reconstruction" and said that "we share the same values" with the U.S. on foreign policy and security issues.