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Russia expects full-fledged cooperation with Greece to be restored

On August 6, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Greek ambassador and notified him about tit-for-tat measures following expulsion of Russian diplomats

© Artiom Geodakyan/TASS

SVETLOGORSK /Kaliningrad Region/, August 15. /TASS/. Russia considers the current situation in relations with Greece to be abnormal and hopes it will be possible to overcome it as soon as possible, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday.

The diplomat recalled that Moscow had never initiated any steps, which resulted in the deterioration of Russian-Greek relations. "On the contrary, we continue to be committed to the comprehensive development of cooperation with Greece," Zakharova noted. "We believe the current situation is abnormal and temporary, and we hope it will be possible to overcome it as soon as possible."

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Recalled Greek ambassador to leave Moscow in late September — source

"We are ready to show patience and responsibility in the interests of restoring full-fledged interaction for the benefit of the two countries’ peoples," she added.

According to Zakharova, Moscow has never interfered in the domestic or foreign policy pursued by Athens, describing such accusations as groundless.

"We took a look at a commentary posted on the Greek Foreign Ministry’s website on August 10, in which Athens assesses the current stage of bilateral relations. The accusations put forward by Athens boil down to unfounded accusations, while no evidence has been provided to us," the diplomat stressed, adding that "Russia has never interfered in Greece’s domestic affairs or its foreign policy."

On July 11, the Greek Kathimerini daily reported citing diplomatic sources that Athens had decided to expel two Russian diplomats and ban two others from entering the country. According to the daily, the Greek authorities accuse the diplomats of interfering in the country’s domestic affairs and undermining the national security of Greece. Greek Cabinet Spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos later confirmed information about the expulsion of diplomats.

On August 6, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it summoned the Greek ambassador to hand over a note to him notifying about tit-for-tat measures following expulsion of Russian diplomats. Two Greek diplomats left Moscow last weekend.

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