“Greece did not visit Moscow as a beggar”, Greek PM Alexis Tsipras said during the joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Russian capital on Wednesday.

His statements also reiterated the fact that Greece has a right to make bilateral energy deals like other countries. The Greek PM indirectly insinuated that the EU is a partnership, to which none should be considered an outsider. He also underlined that Greece has a multi-faceted foreign policy.  

Tsipras cited the positive climate during talks and mentioned that trade, financial relations and energy deals were discussed during the meeting.

Tsipras also mentioned the construction of a natural gas pipeline which would enter Greece from the Greco-Turkish border, projected to be built according to international specifications.

He also stressed that he spoke to Putin about the Cyprus issue, and thanked him for Russia’s unwavering stance during Turkey’s provocative acts.

The Russian leader, on his part, underlined that Russia cannot exclude Greece from the embargo and sanctions, but that there were alternatives discussed today.

He also stated that if Russian companies are treated equally in terms of privatizations tenders in Greece, then they will show a great interest.

Putin also stressed the importance he places on trade and financial relations between the two countries. He reiterated Russia’s position that the Cyprus issue must be solved in the UN without any outside influences.

The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Greek PM Alexis Tsipras in the Kremlin lasted about two hours.

Shortly after 13:30 EET, the Russian president received Alexis Tsipras with a warm handshake. Their meeting was concluded shortly before 16:00 pm EET.

The meeting was immediately followed by lunch, before the two men attend a joint press conference.

According to information, the lunch includes both delegations as well as Gazprom head Alexei Miller , Russian railway company  president Vladimir Yakunin and Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov.

Three deals were signed before journalists:

-A document of cooperation between Greece and Russia for 2015, where the financial and trade

– A common declaration from both countries, commemorating 70 years after the end of WWII

-Declaring 2016 as a year of Greece-Russia with various cultural events and cooperative initiatives.