ATHENS, December 11. /TASS/. Russia is interested in implementing megaprojects in Greece much like it does in Turkey, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an English-language interview with the Greek Antenna TV channel. The conversation took place before the December 8 meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Sochi. The full interview aired overnight on Saturday.
The Kremlin official said that Russia is interested in expanding economic cooperation with Greece. "We have lots and lots of Russian companies who are ready to invest in Greek economy. We are interested in implementing huge, mega projects like we do it in Turkey. Of course, it is not that every project is allowed [in Greece], for example, we are building a nuclear station in Akkuyu in Turkey, but, unfortunately, nuclear energy is forbidden in Greece," he explained.
Putin’s press secretary noted that Russia holds the decisive role of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in high esteem. "He is the type of man that is being appreciated by President Putin because when President Putin says something he means it and he does it. This is important." As for the differences between Russia and Turkey on a number of issues, the Kremlin official said that "it’s impossible not to have them," pointing out that in Syria, the two countries used to have quite tense moments where their interests were colliding in several spheres. "But every time the two presidents found it possible to come together, to sit for five, six, seven hours and not going in front of the press without reaching a solution. Every time they managed to do it," the spokesman noted.
In response to a question as to whom Russia would support in case of an armed incident in the Aegean Sea, the Kremlin official said that "the last thing we would like to see in the Aegean or in the Mediterranean Sea is us being closer to a conflict. We were very worried in August of 2020 when there was a collision between the ships of two countries," stressing that it is desirable to avoid any repetition of similar incidents in the future. According to him, Russia would like to support the resolution of issues between Greece and Turkey in the Aegean Sea. "We would like to support a solution," he said, noting that Russia would like to see both sides proceed taking the reality into account "because every solution is a two-way street, with the reciprocal wish to reach the solution."
In response to a question whether Greece may expect Russia’s full support against Turkey’s actions in the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, the Kremlin official said that Turkey insisted that the provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and Greece’s demands to establish the internationally recognized width of the continental shelf of inhabited islands in the Aegean Sea as well as the scale of the exclusive economic zone would definitely harm Turkey’s national interests and deprive it of its right to use the natural resources of the region. "So, we call for both sides to be calm and to be reasonable in solving the problem," Putin’s press secretary concluded.