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The White House has extended a formal invitation to Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. President of the United States Barack Obama will personally meet with the Greek Prime Minister on 8 August this year to discuss issues related to the economy and stability of the country and the region. According to sources from Washington cited by the Greek media, Obama is anticipating his meeting with Samaras with particular interest.
 
The United States recognizes Greece’s great efforts to recover its economy. The President of the United States has repeatedly stressed that it is difficult for a small country to recover its economic strength, especially in the current euro area-wide hostile environment, by enforcing constant budget cuts without incentives for economic growth.

In addition to economic issues, it is expected that the two leaders will discuss the geopolitical developments in the region. Washington attaches great importance to the fact that, at this point, Greece is perhaps the only factor of stability in the eastern Mediterranean region and therefore, the United States will make every effort to send a clear message that it supports Greece.

Samaras will seek support from the White House to relieve the fiscal restrictions in the recovery programme on which Berlin insists.The discord between the United States and Germany on how to resolve the economic crisis in the euro zone has been common knowledge since last year. Now Samaras will seek support from the White House to relieve the fiscal restrictions in the recovery programme on which Berlin has insisted over the past three years. It is expected that the meeting will draw particular attention to the frustration of the United States due to the policy pursued which is exacerbating the recession in the name of the fiscal balance.

While in Washington, Antonis Samaras may meet with Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund. Vice President Joseph Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry and senior officials from the national security will also attend the meetings with the Prime Minister as reported by Ethnos.

The diplomacy on the American side wants to exert pressure on Brussels to give new impetus to economic development in the euro area in order for the losses of the trade balance to recover. The trade relations between the United States and the European Union are crucial to their prosperity and the protracted economic crisis is posing problems to the business development. The uncertainty regarding the future of the European periphery may have declined but Europe is far from the desired economic status.

It is expected that significant attention will be paid to the issues related to the energy independence of Europe and the geopolitical position of Greece. The recent approval of the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) to transport Azeri gas from the Caspian Sea to northern Europe via Greece has made the country a strategic ally in the initiative to diversify gas supplies to the European Union. The United States supports the project for the construction of TAP as an important part of Europe's plans to end Russia's monopoly influence in gas supplies.

During the meeting with Barack Obama, it is expected that the Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras will raise the issue of the establishment of a free trade zone in Greece. The hot topics which are to be discussed by the two politicians include the Cyprus issue, the difficult situation in Syria and the changes in the countries of North Africa. During his visit overseas, Samaras will meet with investors from different sectors who may be interested in the upcoming privatizations in the country.