Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on Monday had a meeting and a working luncheon with visiting Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Their talks focused on energy issues, including the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) project and the Hellenic Gas Transmission System Operator S.A. (DESFA), as well as on geostrategic issues. They also discussed developments in Russia and Ukraine and Greece’s role in Europe’s energy autonomy.
The prime minister, in his capacity as the European Council president, discussed with the Azeri president about EU prospects and recent developments.
The talks were held in a cordial atmosphere, with government sources underlining that high-level bilateral relations have made significant progress following Prime Minister Samaras’ visit to Baku in May 2013.
Deputy Culture Minister Angela Gerekou later accompanied the Azerbaijani president on a guided tour of the archaeological site of the Acropolis in Athens and noted that bilateral relations will continue to yield results in the sector of culture as well, underlining that Azerbaijan, like Greece, was and still is a crossroads of cultures.
Meanwhile, the prime minister’s wife Georgia Samara accompanied Azerbaijan’s First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva on a visit to the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens and they later had lunch together.