US speaker Nancy Pelosi invites Greek PM to address Congress on May 17

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a letter sent on Thursday invited Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to address a joint session of the US Congress on May 17.

"On behalf of the bipartisan leadership of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, it is my honor to invite you to address a Joint Meeting of the two houses of Congress, assembled in the Chamber of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, May 17, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. It is our great privilege to host you for this belated commemoration of the Greek bicentennial, which we had to unfortunately delay last year due to the pandemic," the letter said.

Pelosi in the letter noted the influence of Ancient Greek ideas of liberty and democracy on the US Founding Fathers when drafting the country's Constitution. More than two centuries later, the US and Greece are key allies on the world stage for advancing shared democratic values and mutual security, the letter said.

The transatlantic alliance remains vital to the future of world freedom amid a "pivotal moment" in the global clash between democracy and autocracy, the letter added.