Sergei Shoigu Held Talks with Top Officials of Greece in Athens

The official visit of Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu to the Republic of Greece came to an end. During his stay in Athens, the head of the Russian Defense Ministry met with the Minister of National Defense of Greece Dimitris Avramopoulos. The talks were held in a friendly atmosphere and were constructive.

 There took place a thorough exchange of views on a wide range of issues of regional and international security, there were discussed in detail the subject areas for further development of bilateral cooperation in the military -technical sphere.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Departs for Greece for High-Profile Talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov departed for Greece on Tuesday where he will discuss with the country’s leadership EU-Russia relations and the situation in Syria.

Lavrov plans to hold talks in Athens with his Greek counterpart Evangelos Venizelos. He also intends to meet with President Karolos Papoulias and Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. In addition, Lavrov and Venizelos will speak at the opening of the conference “Ioannis Kapodistrias and modern Russian-Greek relations,” which will be held during the visit within the framework of events dedicated to the 185th anniversary of the inauguration of the first president of Greece.

The purpose of the visit is “to continue the political dialogue with the Greek side on a wide range of bilateral and international issues.”

Lavrov to Visit Greece on October 29-30

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Greece on October 29-30 for talks on Russian-EU relations and the situation in Syria, the Foreign Ministry reported on Thursday.

Lavrov is expected to hold talks with his Greek counterpart Evangelos Venizelos. The Russian minister is due to meet Greek President Carolos Papoulias and Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.

Lavrov and Venizelos will open a conference entitled “Ioannis Kapodistrias and Russian-Greek Relations”. The conference will take place within the events devoted to the 185th anniversary of Greek Independence Day.

The purpose of the visit “is to continue a political dialogue with Greece on a wide range of bilateral and international issues”. Both parties “will exchange views on Russia-EU interaction, including in the context of Greece’s upcoming presidency in the EU slated for the second half of 2014. The parties will also discuss the situation in Syria and Egypt, Iran’s nuclear program and the situation in the Balkan region,” the ministry said.