page_title: Greece–United States relations
section_title: Postwar
hierarchical_section_title: Greece–United States relations / History / Postwar
caption_attribution_description: Ελληνικά: Ο Πρόεδρος των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών της Αμερικής, Μπάρακ Ομπάμα, κατά την ομιλία του στο Κέντρο Πολιτισμού Ίδρυμα Σταύρος Νιάρχος στη Αθήνα, στις 16 Νοεμβρίου 2016
context_page_description: Greece–United States relations, also known as Greek–American relations, refers to bilateral relations between the Hellenic Republic and the United States of America.
  Due to the strong historical, political, cultural and religious ties between the two nations, Greece and the United States today enjoy excellent diplomatic relations and consider each other an ally. Modern diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in the 1830s after the Greek War of Independence and are today regarded as cordial.
  Greece and the United States have long-standing historical, political, and cultural ties based on a common western heritage, shared democratic values, and participation as Allies during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War and the War on Terror.
context_section_description: The U.S. provided Greece with more than $11.1 billion in economic and security assistance after 1946. Economic programs were phased out by 1962, but military assistance continued. In the fiscal year 1995, Greece was the fourth-largest recipient of U.S. security assistance, receiving loans totaling $255.15 million in foreign military financing.
  In 1953, the first defense cooperation agreement between Greece and the United States was signed, providing for the establishment and operation of American military installations on Greek territory. The current "mutual defense cooperation agreement" provides a continued U.S. military support to Greece and the operation by the U.S. of a major military facility at Souda Bay, Crete.
  Relations between the two countries were later strained by the Cyprus dispute and after the end of the Greek military junta, which particularly the Greek left considered to be backed by the U.S. In 1974, Greece temporarily left the military branch of NATO to protest the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
caption: Barack Obama's visit in Athens, 2016
exif: {}