Papoulias to Attend Opening Ceremony of Russian Winter Olympic Games

Karolos Papoulias, President of Greece (credit: Wikipedia)

President of the Hellenic Republic Karolos Papoulias announced his departure for Sochi in Caucasus, in order to represent Greece at the Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony on Friday.

In an exclusive interview with the ITAR-TASS Russian News Agency in Athens, Papoulias stressed that "Greece welcomes and expects the Russian investments in the economy." Papoulias said that the two countries retain close ties in several sectors that "reflect the depth of the historical ties among our people and are established on a firm basis," and emphasized Russia's strong support of Greece's stance on the Cyprus problem.

A separate report stated that during his visit in Sochi, Papoulias is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the reception following the opening ceremony. On Thursday, he would attend the welcoming ceremony for the Greek Olympic team at the Krasnaya Polyana Olympic Village.

On Friday, February 7, he will meet with President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping and later with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the emir of Qatar.