In Greece, Obama tries to reassure North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies

The speech, which anchors Mr Obama’s multi-nation farewell tour to meet more than two dozen foreign leaders, including top United States allies in Europe and Asia-Pacific nations, comes against a very different backdrop from the one he and his aides had envisioned. He then headed for Germany.

Speaking in Athens, Greece, Obama was in fine form, telling the gathered crowd about the importance of democracy and “free and fair elections, because citizens must be able to choose their own leaders”. He’s expected to address Trump’s election and the direction the US might take in the next four years. Instead, he tried to square a hymn of praise to the benefits of “globalisation” in supposedly improving “the lives of billions of people” so that “the world has never, collectively, been wealthier, better educated, healthier, less violent than it is today” with the fact that “this global integration is increasing the tendencies towards inequality, both between nations and within nations, at an accelerated pace”.

– Greece’s “extraordinary compassion” – ======================================= During his visit to the cradle of democracy, Obama has also touched on issues that have shaken Greek society – a dramatic influx of migrants fleeing war and poverty and a crippling financial crisis.

Obama reminded the Greeks that democracy ensured that a president’s power was checked by the people. With diplomacy we stopped Iran nuclear program, normalized relations with Cuba and signed climate change protocol in Paris.

The growing anxiety of those who went out to the streets to protest on Trump’s presidency and the uncertainties for the US Allies are being managed by the outgoing administration of Obama. “But American democracy is bigger than any one person”.

President Barack Obama is delivering a message to his fellow world leaders: “People have to know that they’re being heard”.

He said he would only help North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies if they paid their way.

Joining the two leaders are the heads of countries at the centre of numerous European Union’s coming challenges.

It’s no coincidence that Obama gave the speech in Greece, which has borne the brunt of numerous economic and social forces roiling Europe. Obama passed through the Propylaea, the monumental gateway that serves as an entrance to the site, and walked along the Parthenon temple, which is dedicated to the goddess Athena, considered the patron of Athens.

The last visit to Greece by a US president was by Bill Clinton in 1999, which was also marred by clashes between anarchists and riot police. In a boost to Greek efforts to argue for debt relief, he added: “I’ve been clear from the beginning of this crisis that in order to make reforms sustainable, the Greek economy needs the space to return to growth and start creating jobs again”. He said Greece must continue putting in place painful reforms it signed up to in return for successive global bailouts.

Another joke has Biden asking Mr. Obama if he could put whoopee cushions under the chairs before Trump’s arrival at The White House.

“The lesson I draw – and I think people can draw a lot of lessons but maybe one that cuts across countries – is we have to deal with issues like inequality”, said Obama. Many are living in poor conditions in massively overcrowded camps.

Every country “travels its own path, every country has its own traditions”, Obama said. “And it therefore brings about huge political and social problems”, he said.