“I would like to reaffirm that the meeting of the Joint Interministerial Committee was especially successful, and to thank the Committee co-Chair, Minister Dietrich, for the very productive way in which he managed its proceedings.
You are all aware that relations between Greece and Russia have long been excellent. This year, we are celebrating the 190th anniversary from conclusion of our diplomatic relations, and we have worked systematically with the co-Chair, Mr. Dietrich, as well as our colleagues, to further promote these excellent relations in the field of economy, in fields of common interest such as energy, transport, agricultural products, as well as other areas, such as new technologies, where we wish to have a systematic collaboration.
We did not only deal with economic issues, but also with issues that bring peoples together such as culture, sports, and education. Our two peoples harbour feelings of mutual affinity, and we are especially happy that, every year, we host almost one million Russian citizens in our country. We feel that between our peoples, exist ties that history and common cultural traditions have forged for centuries now.
I also expect, in light of tomorrow’s meeting between Alexis Tsipras and President Putin, further improvement in our relations, and I would like to thank Mr. Dietrich for the very positive collaboration.
December 6, 2018