French President Francois Hollande arrived at Athens International Airport shortly after 5 p.m. where he was warmly welcomed by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and afforded the honors of a head of state. He is accompanied on this visit by French Economy Minister Michel Sapin, French Education Minister Najat Vallaud Belkacem and French Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin and a delegation of 70 businessmen.

Laying of wreath at unknown soldier

After a car parade to Syntagma, Hollande and his delegation placed a wreath at the monument of the unknown soldier and made a statement to the French media. His first comments to the press after his arrival were of solidarity. “My visit is a visit of support and friendship,” he said. “Greece and France have a common history dating back many years and France fought to get Greece into the European Union and is today fighting to keep it there!” he said.

He was accompanied by Tsipras at the Monument of the Unknown soldier where he was greated by Defence Minister Panos Kammenos. He inspected the contingent before heading to the Presidential Palace.

Meeting with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos

Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos welcomed Hollande and did not hide his sympathy for the French leader and gratitude for his efforts to help Greece. He made four points. Firstly, he said Greece would honor its commitments but said that the viability of the Greek debt needs to be addressed. Secondly, he pointed to the refugee crisis, underlining that Europe needs to be protected but it needs to be respected that migrants are, above all, people! Thirdly, he also said that the war in Syria needs to be focused upon so, and called for France to add its cloud, in terms of dealing with this problem that sets the framework for a humanitarian crisis. The last matter he addressed was that of the long-standing Cyprus dispute and said that a solution needs to be found as soon as possible to secure the rights of the Cyprus democracy.

The French president pointed to the close cultural ties shared by two countries. Hollande asked what the European Union would be without Greece, and what Greece would be without the European Union. He said Greece showed that it wanted to stay in the EU, and solidarity was shown. He said, France, a friend of Greece supported the initiative for Greece to stay, spotlighting the strong ties between both nations. Hollande recognized Greece’s efforts and changes, and he pointed that more are necessary however Greece will get relief. Furthermore, he said that another reason for his visit was to convince French businesses to invest in Greece, because growth is needed as well as discipline. “If someone loves Greece, they can come on holidays but also invest in Greece!” he said. Refering to the Cyprus issue, he said that he supports the efforts of the government of Cyprus and hopes for a solution through dialogue.

Speaking with journalists, he pointed to the importance of the bailout deal on July 13, 2015, but said more milestones need to be completed, adding that one of these is debt relief. He said that Greece needs to be helped in the refugee crisis. “If we help Greece, we will help the European Union,” he said, pointing to the need to show solidarity in the creation of hotspots. He added that Greece is the EU’s borders and need to be protected. “If we don’t help Greece, we would need to spend even more money to deal with refugees,” he said, adding that it would be a paradox to help Turkey deal with refugees rather than Greece.”I will speak with Tsipras about this,” he said.

Medal of honor

Hollande was presented with Greece’s highest decoration, the Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer medal, before attending a formal dinner. On his part Hollande also presented Pavlopoulos with the medal of the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor.

Official dinner

Pavlopoulos once again referred to Greece’s debt problems and the problems caused by the policy of austerity while stressing Greek interest to stay in the euro during the official dinner held in his honor. Once again, he thanked the French president for his aid during the negotiations with creditors in July and the historic ties that join the two countries.
He pointed to the sacrifices of Greek people and the humanitarian crisis that has been created by austerity imposed on Greece.

Friday’s agenda

On Friday, the French President will hold talks with Tsipras, co-sign a declaration on the upgrade of bilateral cooperation in several sectors and address the Greek parliament.