Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Tuesday received visiting Serbian Premier Mirko Cvetkovic at his Maximos Mansion office, prior to the signing of a bilateral protocol on the avoidance of double taxation.

On his part, Karamanlis praised the excellent level of relations between Athens and Belgrade, while emphasising the long-standing friendship between the two peoples. In fact, the Greek prime minister referred to Serbia as a "strategic partner" for Athens.

Among others, the premier said Greece continuously placed amongst the biggest foreign investors in Serbia, although the goal is an even greater increase in bilateral trade and investment.

Karamanlis cited Greek state funding, to the tune of 100 million euros, for Corridor X, a pan-European road axis passing through Serbia, while underling that the European Union's integration is "incomplete as long as it does not include Serbia and other countries in the western Balkans, when, of course, they first meet EU criteria."

Along those lines, Karamanlis said Greece sternly believes in the European course of its neighbours, cautioning that this goal must be linked with the efforts and volition of the candidate states themselves, a clear reference to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

Referring to Kosovo, Karamanlis noted that Greece is following developments and giving priority to stability in tandem with a rise in the living standards of residents in the region.

On his part, Cvetkovic said Greek-Serbian relations are excellent, recognising that Athens has stood by Belgrade in difficult times while thanking the Greek people for the support and aid given to the Serbian people.

"We agreed with Mr. Karamanlis to intensify our cooperation," the Serbian PM stressed, while calling on Greek investors to invest in his country.

Source: ANA-MPE

^
top

print this page   send this page