The Alternate Foreign Minister for European Affairs, Nikos Xydakis, met in Moscow today, 1 June, with the head of Russia’s Federal Agency for Tourism, Oleg Petrovich Safonov, within the framework of his three-day visit to the Russian capital.
The meeting, which took place in a warm atmosphere and following on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to Greece, reaffirmed the mutual will for full cooperation between the two sides in the tourism sector, and it was agreed to strengthen Russian tourism to Greece. In this context, Mr. Xydakis assured Mr. Safonov that Greece is exhausting every potential for serving the wave of Russian tourists and that, from here on in, three- and five-year visas will be issued to eligible Russian citizens. The two sides also agreed to work together, through joint press conferences, to inform Russian citizens as thoroughly as possible.
Mr. Xydakis stated that “already, in the month of May, our consular missions in Russia have issued 90,000 visas – many more than were issued during the same month last year. The plan for bolstering our missions paid off, and we will continue, even more intensively, in the same direction through to the end of the summer. From the time a Russian citizen submits the required documents, the time in which a visa is issued will be as short as possible, with the goal of not exceeding seven business days. Every increase in tourism flows from a people who adore Greece and its culture is of benefit to our country and the national economy.”
Following the meeting, and rounding out his three-day visit to Moscow, Mr. Xydakis met with Russian news media and Greek correspondents, briefing them on the results of his visit and reiterating the Greek government’s intension to continue to work systematically to ensure that Greek-Russian cooperation can bring optimum results for both sides.
June 1, 2016