Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called for a "new start” to relations with Russia on his first official visit to Moscow on Wednesday, a rare visit by a European leader that comes amid slow progress in Athens’s talks with the European Union on urgently needed funding.
Welcoming Mr. Tsipras to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the trip "comes at exactly the right moment,” and the two countries should look for ways to increase bilateral trade.
Mr. Tsipras’s government isn't seeking financial assistance here, officials say, not least because Moscow is itself struggling amid an economic downturn. But Athens has asked for a discount on Russian gas, and officials say they will discuss the possible removal of a Russian embargo on Greek food imports, although no deal is expected Wednesday."The aim of my visit is to try jointly to make a new start, to give a new beginning to our relations,” said Mr. Tsipras in remarks translated by the Kremlin.
Mr. Tsipras and other Greek ministers have criticized European Union sanctions against Russia over its aggression in Ukraine, drawing concern in Europe over the bloc maintaining its common position.
Mr. Tsipras’s trip highlighted the delicate balance he is striking with the Kremlin in order not to irritate the EU. Moscow had said it expected Mr. Tsipras to attend commemorations of the end of World War II on May 9, but instead he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near Red Square ahead of his meeting with Mr. Putin.
Mr. Putin highlighted the two countries’ "shared spiritual roots,” a reference to the Orthodox Christian faith that has long underpinned close diplomatic ties.
Russian officials say they are considering removing an embargo for Greek agricultural products that was imposed against the EU in July in response to Western sanctions. A European Commission spokesman said Tuesday that the bloc should speak with "one voice” in trade talks.
Still, Margaritis Schinas, the chief spokesman of the European Commission, said Wednesday: "All members of the family do not travel necessarily to the same places but they are members of the same family and they have the same view of the world.”
(Wall Street Journal, April 8, 2015)
