Greek foreign minister to visit Moscow and meet Lavrov on February 18

Top Greek diplomat Nikos Dendias will visit Moscow on February 18 and plans to hold a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the official representative of the Greek Foreign Ministry, Alexandros Papaioannou, said at a briefing on Wednesday.

The two top officials are to discuss a series of issues, such as bilateral relations, collaboration in economic and cultural issues, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Cyprus issue, developments in the region, as well as the developments in Eastern Europe. 

“In the afternoon on February 17, Dendias will travel to Moscow to hold talks on Friday, February 18, with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov,” Papaioannou said.

With regard to the Ukrainian crisis, Greece has emphasized the need for de-escalation on all sides while reiterating its concern about the Greek community in the wider area of ​​Mariupol in Ukraine, which numbers about 120,000 people.

Dendias’ visit to Moscow follows his trip to Mariupol. While he was there Dendias talked on the phone with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, who asked him to use the Athens-Moscow channels of communication in favor of de-escalation.

Dendias and Lavrov slated to meet in Moscow

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will receive his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias in Moscow on February 18. The meeting is taking place at Lavrov’s request.

According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexandros Papaioannou during a briefing, the meeting will focus on bilateral relations, economic and cultural cooperation, the Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus, as well as developments in Eastern Europe.

“Greece is a member-state of the EU and the North Atlantic Alliance,” Papaioannou said, stressing that Athens treats Russia “as a key and integral part of the European security architecture.”

This is the third visit of the Greek Foreign Minister to Russia over the past two years

“Dendias will pay a visit to Moscow at the invitation of Mr. Lavrov. Let me remind you that this is the third visit of the [Greek] Foreign Minister to Russia over the past two years, they met on various other occasions, Lavrov paid a visit to Greece. The Greek Foreign Minister met with Lavrov in Sochi,” the representative said.

According to Papaioannou, the upcoming visit of Dendias to Moscow is “very important,” as at the meeting bilateral relations will be discussed in the light of the visit and discussions that Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis had with Russian President Vladimir Putin in December last year. “Bilateral relations cover a wide range of topics – political, trade and cultural. It is necessary to mention the Year of the History of Russia and Greece.” The representative of the Greek Foreign Ministry stated that they will also discuss various developments in Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean.

“Greece is a member of the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance and is bound by obligations to these organizations, but we always tell our interlocutors that we consider it necessary to maintain channels of communication with Russia and a constant dialogue with it. We believe that Russia is an integral part of the overall security architecture of Europe, and this, of course, will be discussed during [upcoming] contacts,” Papaioannou said.