ATHENS

This week's US elections will not affect Athens’ relations with Washington, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday.

“Regardless of the outcome, Greek-American relations are strategic and their content will not be affected,” Mitsotakis said during a meeting with President Katerina Sakellaropoulou in Athens, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Greece will continue to cooperate with whoever the new president is, he said, adding: "Europe's geopolitical coming of age is now becoming absolutely necessary."

Citing a report by former European Central Bank (ECB) head Mario Draghi on the decline in the EU economy, he said: “The time has come for Europe to buckle down and make very important decisions about how it will be able to cover the ground lost to the US and China.”

In September, Draghi submitted a report on maintaining the EU economic competitiveness in the face of global challenges, highlighting the need for a coordinated industrial policy, quick decision-making, more investments, and joint borrowing to better compete with the US and China.

Americans headed to the ballot box today to vote not only for the next president, but also for Congress, numerous state governors, and local government officials.

In the presidential field, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump have each spent months campaigning, with the race expected to be unusually tight.