Athens seeks to strengthen its dialogue with Moscow and advocates for initiatives to improve relations between the European Union and Russia, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias told Sputnik ahead of his visit to Russia
ATHENS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th November, 2019) Athens seeks to strengthen its dialogue with Moscow and advocates for initiatives to improve relations between the European Union and Russia, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias told Sputnik ahead of his visit to Russia.
On Wednesday, Dendias will hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during his working visit to Russia. The diplomats will discuss the state of and prospects for bilateral relations in the context of the new Greek government starting its work.
"Our country considers Russia as an integral part of European security and seeks to make a positive contribution to [Greece's] dialogue with Russia. We support initiatives aimed to improve relations between the EU and Russia while pointing out the need for the full implementation of international law," the minister said.
He added that Greece always maintained ties with Russia, even after the Ukraine crisis erupted.
Asked about sanctions, Dendias stated that Greece, as an EU member state, was bond by the decisions made by the bloc and required to implement sanctions against Russia. At the same time, the minister noted that Greece was among the countries that had suffered the most from Russia's retaliatory measures, which includes a food embargo.
"This will be my first meeting with Sergey Lavrov, and it is a great pleasure for me that we will be able to discuss thoroughly issues that we are concerned about. Greece and Russia preserve historical ties of friendship and cooperation. Our country's continuing desire is to further strengthen cooperation with Russia based on mutual respect and equality," Dendias said.
According to the Greek foreign minister, the EU needs to maintain good relations with Moscow.
