A day after the “pomp and circumstance” of the annual Greek Independence Day celebration at the White House, US President Barack Obama returned to politics on Friday, calling on Athens’ leftist leaders to implement reforms.

Greece needs to effectively collect taxes, reduce red-tape and establish more flexible labor practices, was Obama’s exhortation, echoing EU pleas over the past five or so years.
He made the comments during a press briefing with visiting Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

“We must absolutely and strongly work to achieve an agreement,” Renzi chimed in, adding that Greece “must do reforms.”

Nevertheless, he also said Europe must also work towards an agreement with Greece, whereas Greek citizens’ views must also be respected – a reference to the election result in January.

According to Obama, he told a newly elected Alexis Tsipras this year that: “We will be supportive of some flexibilities in how you move forward so that you can make investments and it’s not just squeezing blood from a stone.”