The Guardian’s Helena Smith says tensions are running high back in Athens, as the highly political nature of PM Tsipras’ trip to Moscow is closely scrutinised.
She reports: The concerns raised by senior European officials, including Martin Schultz, the European parliament president over today’s Tsipras-Putin talks are being described as “unnecessary” by Greek sources.
“Greece has the right to have a multi-dimensional foreign policy,” Greek officials said as prime minister Alexis Tsipras began talks with president Vladimir Putin. “The noise” made by European leaders was not only unheeded but tantamount to interference in the country’s affairs.
Athens not only wanted to improve ties economically but culturally with Moscow, said another source adding that 2016 had been declared the Year of Greek-Russian friendship.
Tsipras himself gave voice to the desire to strengthen ties with the Greek media quoting him as telling Putin that relations between the two countries were not only “deep and continuous” but based on “common struggles and a common religious tradition.”
“The aim of my presence here is to look to reset Greek-Russian relations to the benefit of both countries and to the benefit of security and stability in the wider region,” the leftist prime minister told the Russian president.
http://www.theguardian.com/...
7:38 AM PT: The press conference is over.
If a video of the live coverage is posted on youtube (haven't found yet) I will post it