“We are open to dialogue,” said the Chairman of the State Duma, opening the meeting.
“It is important for us to develop our contacts within the framework of the parliamentary dimension,” said Viacheslav Volodin.
Vyacheslav Victorovich
The Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the eighth convocation. Elected in single mandate constituency № 163 (Saratov constituency - Saratov Oblast)
He reminded that ‘Russian-Greek relations are based on strong traditions of friendship between nations.’ He noted that in the world there are few countries with such a history of relations, and Russia values them.
“We would like to develop what was laid by our ancestors, building relations based on the principles of friendship, mutual understanding, equality, non-interference in the affairs of sovereign states,” said the Chairman of the State Duma. He pointed out that Russia is building relations with Greece exactly on these principles.
“Despite the difficulties, geopolitical upheavals, the friendship between our peoples is deep,” agreed Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Historical, cultural, religious ties will help the two countries to strengthen relations in various fields, he believes.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis also said that the party, which he chairs, ”was always in the forefront for strengthening relations with Russia.“
“Greece is a member-country of NATO and the EU but this does not mean that we cannot find the areas of cooperation, which we could develop, in bilateral relations,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis believes. He stressed that ‘Greece and our party will always be a reliable and negotiable interlocutor for you.’
“It is extremely important to develop relations between our countries. We have great potential and it must be used,” said Viacheslav Volodin.
This is the potential for the development of trade relations, cultural ties, and humanitarian cooperation. “Our countries have a deep history, and we need to value it,” the Chairman of the State Duma believes.
During the meeting, the topic of US actions on the world stage was raised. Viacheslav Volodin stressed that Russia fundamentally disagrees with the policy pursued by the United States within the North Atlantic bloc, deploying missiles in Europe.
”We believe that such steps destroy those agreements that were previously reached, and all the positive things that have been done in the field of global security,“ said the Chairman of the State Duma. ”This path only contributes to the arms race, and this is a rollback to the past,“ he added.
Viacheslav Volodin noted that representatives of all factions of the State Duma participate in the meeting, and, despite the different positions of the factions on some issues, “our position on security issues is unanimous.”
The meeting was held as part of a working visit of the delegation of the Parliament of the Hellenic Republic to Moscow. During the talks, Viacheslav Volodin invited Kyriakos Mitsotakis to participate in the International Forum “Development of Parliamentarism”, which will be held in Moscow on July 1–2, 2019.
