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"We are all Greeks for a day," said President of the United States Barack Obama, stressing that "Greece and the United States stand close to each other as partners and allies, as well as the fact that the two countries are closer than ever.

Speaking at an annual event honouring the National Day of Greece 25 March, which was organized at the White House on Saturday morning, this year Obama again opened the event with a greeting in Greek.

He then highlighted the profound impact of the Americans of Greek origin on American people and mentioned specifically the Greek communities in Tarpon Springs, Florida and Chicago.

The American president ended his greeting with "Long live Greece".

The ceremony began with a speech by Vice President of the United States Joe Biden, who spoke about his recent telephone conversation with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. He congratulated him not only on the national holiday, but also on Greece’s progress in the economy sector.

Biden stressed that Antonis Samaras was a leader with "courage and vision". The American Vice President drew attention to the serious efforts made by Samaras and his government in order to overcome the economic crisis.

Joe Biden reiterated that the United States stand on the side of Greece and underlined the warm relationship between the governments of the two countries, highlighting "the close cooperation" they enjoy. Greece plays "a valuable role," he said as a "strategic partner and ally" in NATO.

The American Vice President spoke about the relationships binding the two countries, mentioning the legacy of ancient Hellas in the western world, and quoted the Greek historian Thucydides' sentence, "The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage."

Joe Biden also stressed the support of the United States for the reopening of the Theological School on the island of Chalki.

Archbishop of America Dimitrios spoke after him and first thanked Obama for the hospitality and the great tribute to the Orthodox Greek-American community during the six years of his presidency.

After talking about the common values uniting Greeks and Americans, Dimitrios mentioned the common struggles, and the contribution of the Greek-American community.

The festive ceremony at the White House on the occasion of the National Day of Greece was held for the 28th consecutive year.

At the ceremony, Greece was represented by Minister of Culture Panos Panagiotopoulos, Tourism Minister Olga Kefaloyani and Ambassador of Greece in Washington Christos Panagopoulos.

Before the ceremony, President Barack Obama and Vice President Biden met the Archbishop of America Dimitrios in private in the Green Room of the White House.