Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis referred to “excellent relations” between Athens and Washington, in fielding questions on Tuesday during an event hosted by the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce, where he shared the stage with former Italian premier Jacques Delors Institute President Enrico Letta.

The event came a day after the closely watched inauguration of Donald Trump, which utterly dominated the global limelight and generated numerous headlines and countless hours of footage, something that Mitsotakis called a “very nice coincidence”.

“Greece and the United States have an excellent relationship, which has never been better in the past. We have a five-year defense cooperation, but our relationship extends far beyond defense, to cutting-edge technologies, education and culture. We have a very strong relationship and strong ties with both parties in Washington,” Mitsotakis said, adding: “I don’t expect any changes in our bilateral relationship, but we are addressing this relationship, not through the bilateral dimension, but we have to find a unified approach as Europeans towards the new US administration.”

Asked about the new US administration, he said the Trump election in the United States is a final spark for Europe to move from words to deeds, “not in a spirit of opposition to the US, as we have very close relations and we will maintain them, but to seek mutually beneficial solutions.”

He also said Europe must do more for its common defense, with Donald Trump being right to demand that European governments spend more for defense.

The event, held at seaside resort hotel southeast of the Greek capital, was entitled “The future of Europe in a fast-changing world: Leadership and Global Challenges”.