Putin to visit on March 15
Russian President Vladimir Putin is to visit Athens on Thursday to attend the signing of an agreement to build an oil pipeline between the Black Sea and the Aegean, alternate government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros confirmed yesterday. The ceremony will also be attended by Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, Antonaros said. Greece, Bulgaria and Russia have been discussing the construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline for more than a decade but Russia pushed for the deal to close last month after clinching a controlling interest in the pipeline’s operation. This month’s visit will be the third in two years by Putin, whose relationship with Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has been described, by both men, as «excellent.» Karamanlis last visited Moscow in December 2004. Yesterday’s developments were less positive for Greek-Turkish relations as officials in Ankara announced that Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul would not be able to visit Athens on March 28 and 29, as planned.
