Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, and discussed bilateral issues as well as Turkey’s decision to convert the Hagia Sophia monument, now a museum, into a mosque.
The two leaders “emphasized the unmatched cultural, historic and religious significance of that unique World Heritage Site and noted the importance of preserving it as a universal heritage and symbol of peace and cohesion,” an announcement from the Kremlin reported by Tass said.
According to the statement, the two leaders also discussed the future prospects of the Russian-Greek collaboration in several sectors and they also “noted the need to accelerate the work of the joint committee on economic, industrial, scientific and technical collaboration, placing an emphasis on extending the legal groundwork for a bilateral relationship.”
The Greek and Russian leaders also discussed the “Year of Greece” in Russia and the “Year of Russia” in Greece programs scheduled for 2021, including the anniversary events in Greece to celebrate the bicentennial of the start of the Greek War of Independence (1821).
Additionally, Mitsotakis and Putin discussed regional agenda issues, including the situation in Libya and developments in the East Mediterranean.
Source: ANA-MPA