US president hails Greek-American community at independence day celebration

"The United States - and all of Western civilization - has been profoundly shaped by the extraordinary achievements of the Greek people, stretching all the way back to ancient times," US President Donald Trump said on Monday, speaking at the annual celebration of Greece's independence from Ottoman rule at the White House.

"Today, we commemorate the Greeks' long struggle to regain their independence from a foreign empire. On March 25th, 1821, Greek patriots rose up and fought to liberate their country, restore their sovereignty and reclaim their destiny," Trump said in his welcoming address at the event, which was attended by leading representatives of the Greek-American community, including Archbishop Demetrios, ambassadors Haris Lalakos of Greece and Marios Lysiotis of Cyprus, the European Union's representative in the US, Stavros Lambrinidis, among many others.
"This...