Dendias, 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.”
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.
