Vice President Biden met today with Prime Minister Samaras of Greece to discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues.  The Vice President stressed Greece’s strategic importance as a NATO ally and valued partner in promoting peace and stability from the Middle East and North Africa to the Western Balkans.   The Vice President commended the Prime Minister for his continued commitment to making the tough but necessary reforms to put Greece back on stable financial footing, as notable progress has already been made. The Vice President also pledged continued American support for Greece’s efforts to make its economy more open and competitive.  Finally, the two leaders also agreed to continue to support efforts toward reconciliation on Cyprus and in that context, the Vice President welcomed the recent decision of the Greek and Turkish governments to meet with Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot negotiators, respectively, as a positive step towards helping the parties build trust.