Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived at the Greek government headquarters in the Maximos Mansion at 18:25 on Friday after concluding a meeting with President of Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras welcomed the Russian president who was accompanied by the foreign ministers of Greece and Russia and the rest of the Russian delegation.
Speaking in front of the cameras, Mr. Tsipras noted that “strengthening relations with Russia constitutes a strategic choice which is dictated both by the historically close, cultural and political ties, as well as the possibilities opening in front of us and the possibilities of strengthening stability in the region”.
He also said that Putin’s visit comes at a time when Greece is turning a page, is ending uncertainty and can look into the future with greater optimism for growth and for restarting the economy.
High level meetings
On his side, Mr. Putin said these high level meetings are part of the Greek-Russian Year.
“In Moscow and St Petersburg we have discussed analytically the prospects in economic cooperation. There are many problems, but there are very good prospects,” he said adding that “we must transform the good relations of our peoples to tangible economic results.”
The Russian president also said the cooperation is not limited to energy, but includes high technology, infrastructure and mutual investments, which will be discussed today.
The meeting between the two men will be followed by a working dinner and talks between delegations from the two sides.
Tourism breeds trust and friendship
Furthermore, in an interview to Greek daily newspaper Kathimerini, Putin stressed that tourism “breeds trust and friendship between people.”
He acknowledged that tourism is a major contributor to Greece’s economic growth and reminded that Greece is an important partner for Russia.
“Tourism makes a significant contribution to the economic development of Greece, as well as to broader direct people-to-people contacts and greater trust and friendship between our citizens,” Putin noted and added:
“Hundreds of thousands of Russian tourists visit your country every year. They relax on the beautiful beaches, get acquainted with the rich heritage of ancient Hellas and its legendary architectural monuments.”
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