Outgoing US President Barack Obama is expected acknowledge the sacrifices made by the Greek people as a result of the prolonged economic crisis facing the country, during his official 2-day visit to Athens next week. During the White House press briefing, reporters were informed that Obama will send a clear message of support to Greece on its efforts to overcome the economic crisis, while he is also expected to voice the need for a debt relief. According to Ben Rhodes, the Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, Barack Obama has been involved personally on the Greek matter during his tenure as President, while he will “praise the Greek government for the progress in legislating and implementing the necessary reforms.” Rhodes added that more work needs to be done, stressing that the US agrees with the IMF’s position that a debt restructuring is curial for rendering the the Greek economy sustainable. Rhodes expressed his certainty that the Greek government would succeed in its reform efforts if its creditors guaranteed the sustainability of the debt. “We will continue to back these efforts until the President leaves office”, he said. Rhodes told reporters that President Obama had wanted to visit Greece for a long time, pointing to the deep routed friendship and collaboration between the two countries are their shared views on economic stability, cooperation on battling terrorism and collaboration in the framework of NATO. According to the official program of Obama’s trip, the US President will arrive on Tuesday, November 15 and meet with the President of the Hellenic Republic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, followed by his meeting with Greek PM Alexis Tsipras at Maximos Mansion. Later in the evening he will attend a formal dinner in his honour held by the Greek President, while on Wednesday he is scheduled to visit the Parthenon, before delivering his only public speech, which will focus on the efforts made by the Greek public during the economic challenged the country faced.