Photo credit: Channel One / youtube.com
Russia became a guest of honor at the celebrations marking the anniversary of the start of the national liberation revolution in Greece, Channel One reports. Two centuries have passed since the day of this event. Russia has done a lot for Greece to gain independence from the Ottoman Empire, and Greece is trying not to forget about it. Russia is represented at the anniversary celebrations by a delegation headed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
The Russian Prime Minister's visit to Athens began with talks with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis. They discussed topical issues of bilateral cooperation. The pandemic affected the Russian-Greek trade for the worse. But, according to Mikhail Mishustin, there are still untapped opportunities. He noted that the coronavirus had inflicted the greatest damage on the tourism industry. Therefore, one of the topics was the search for new ways to restore tourism, which could not harm the health of people.
Russian-Greek cooperation is not limited to tourism matters. Athens wants to expand it despite the installation from Brussels.
The head of the Greek government has no doubts that Moscow is one of the most ambitious components of the European security architecture. Mitsotakis expressed confidence that it cannot be based on antagonism.
Development of cooperation was also discussed at the talks between Mikhail Mishustin and President of Cyprus Nikos Anastasiades, who expressed gratitude to Russia for its principled position on the settlement of the Cyprus problem.
The head of the Russian government was awarded the Gold Medal of Honor of the city of Athens.
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou noted the great contribution of Russia to the liberation of Greece. She reminded not only of the military assistance that the Russian Empire provided to the Greeks, but also of the many publications on this topic in Russian magazines, and of the poems dedicated to Greece by Russian poets.
Russian Greeks took an active part in the revolution, and Russian sailors, having defeated the Turkish fleet in the Battle of Navarino, made the independence of Greece inevitable. The Greeks remember this and are grateful. In addition, Russia became the first country to recognize the new Greek state.
Russkiy Mir
