President of Greece’s major opposition party New Democracy, Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the latter’s hotel in Kavouri, Athens, late Friday night. Vladimir Putin included the meeting in his 2-day visit in Greece to get acquainted with the new leader of Greece’s conservative party.

The Russian President expressed hope that ND MPs would support the common initiatives between Greece and Russia, while Mitsotakis stressed that it was his party that promoted relations between the two countries. Mitsotakis pointed out the need for foreign investments in the Greek economy, with emphasis on tourism. ‘We understand there is interest on the part of Russia. The country has many comparative advantages. We welcome the interest you are showing for closer economic ties’, said Mitsotakis. The leader of ND underlined the need for Russia to help in the resolution of the Cypriot problem.