ATHENS, May 28. /TASS/. President Vladimir Putin on Friday pointed out the contribution Greece had made to a rapprochement with Russia and the EU simultaneously but he called into question the Greek government's ability to overpower-bureaucracy in Brussels, which he compared with the stables of King Augeias.
"We realize perfectly well what kind of world we live in," Putin said at a joint news conference with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. "Greece has found itself in a knotty position. The Prime Minister has to take very difficult but I think necessary decisions."
"We don't expect Herculean exploits on the part of Greece and it's very unlikely that this country might be able to clean out the Augean stables of European bureaucracy," Putin said.
He recalled that Greece was the homeland of outstanding thinkers and schools of philosophy, adding that the good relations between the two countries had the roots going deep into centuries.
"Quite naturally, all of this forms a very solid foundation for Russian-Greek relations," Putin said. "We think Greece will be able to contribute to the decision-making in the EU and to influence the process in some way.".