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Russian President Putin visits Greece to boost bilateral cooperation

Xinhua, May 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Greece on Friday for a two- day working visit which both sides have welcomed as another step in the enhancement of bilateral collaboration in several sectors.

Greek state TV ERT showed the Russian leader arriving at the Athens International Airport amid heightened security measures heading a large delegation of ministers and other officials and businessmen, including the CEOs of gas and oil giants Gazprom and Rosneft.

In his first visit to Greece after a decade following a meeting with his Greek counterpart Prokopis Pavlopoulos at the Presidential mansion, Putin was scheduled to hold talks with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

A series of declarations and agreements on energy, tourism, technology, and science are to be signed before the Russian leader visits a museum in Athens on Friday evening and leaves for northern Greece on Saturday to pay a short visit to the monastic community of Mount Athos, Greek national news agency ANA-MPA reported.

Putin's visit to Greece "is particularly important and will only have positive results", Deputy Foreign Minister responsible for International Economic Relations Dimitris Mardas told ANA-MPA shortly before the talks.

The Russian leader's visit was organized as part of the 2016 cross-cultural Greece-Russia Year and following Tsipras' visit to Russia in 2015 and Pavlopoulos' visit to Moscow in January.

According to Greek government sources on the agenda of discussions in Athens will be the strengthening of bilateral economic and trade relations, focusing on attracting Russian investments and promoting Greek products, mainly agricultural, energy and tourism.

In an article printed in Greek Kathimerini (Daily) newspaper a few hours ahead of the visit, the Russian leader expressed in particular interest in the privatizations of the Hellenic National Railways and Thessaloniki Port Authority.

The two sides, according to Greek government sources, are also to examine the upgrading of political dialogue on international and regional developments, EU-Russia and NATO-Russia relations, as well as stronger cooperation on culture, education, science and technology. Endit