Describing their meeting as the beginning of a new Spring in the relations between Greece and Russia, Russian president Vladimir Putin and Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras ended their talks in Moscow, with the signing of a series of cooperation agreements between their countries, mainly in the trade and energy sectors.
Directly answering to speculation that Greece is attempting to play Russia against the EU, Alexis Tsipras said that Greece respects all it's international agreements and obligations while Vladimir Putin noted that “the Greek side did not ask us for help”.
“Greece is not a beggar to go around asking for help for a crisis that is not only Greek but also European” and it needs to be solved at a EU level, said Alexis Tsipras. He pointed out in at least three occasions that “Greece is a sovereign country” and, like all countries, it has the right and the obligation to pursue it's foreign policy, respecting all its agreements and international obligations.
On the same subject, president Putin denied allegations that Russia is trying to fuel agitation within the EU. “ We would like to work with the whole EU”, he said. Both he and Alexis Tsipras expressed their surprise about the special treatment reserved by European analysts and politicians for the Greek visit to Moscow, while the same visits by other European heads of government are considered absolutely normal.
Tsipras referred to criticism reserved for “normal moves of the new Greek government as if Greece was a debt colony”.
Regarding the cooperation between Russia and Greece, both leaders focused on the Energy sector, mentioning the Turkish Stream gas pipeline and the possibility of an Energy hub in Greece that will eventually transport energy to Europe.
Cooperation on agriculture was also discussed, with Tsipras underlining that although Greece disagrees with the logic of sanctions against Russia, it is respecting this EU decision. On the same subject, Vladimir Putin said that Russia understands that Greece “had to vote for the sanctions” something that “led to the counter- sanctions”. “Unfortunately we can't make any exception” he said. But he noted that there might be some cooperation with the formation of joint agricultural companies.
http://www.neurope.eu/article/tsipras-putin-speak-spring-agree-energy-trade-cooperation