Athens
has not asked for money from Moscow: Greek official
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[April 08, 2015]
By Renee Maltezou
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister
Alexis Tsipras began talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on
Wednesday as his indebted country scrambles for funds, but officials
said Athens had not asked for money from Moscow.
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Greece owes billions of euros in debt and interest payments and is
looking for funds after failing so far to reach a deal with its
European Union and International Monetary Fund partners to unlock
fresh financing.
Both leaders looked relaxed at the start of talks in the Kremlin,
with Tsipras wearing no tie and Putin sitting back in his chair as
he welcomed him with a handshake and a smile.
Putin could offer to lift a ban on food imports from Greece, imposed
in response to EU economic sanctions over Russia's role in the
Ukraine crisis, or propose a discount on gas deliveries.
Some EU states are worried such deals might encourage Athens to
break ranks over the sanctions but a Greek government official
suggested this would not happen.
"We have not asked for financial aid," a Greek government official
said before the talks in Moscow. "We want to solve our debt and
financial issues... within the euro zone."
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/Apr/08/images/ads/current/agee_sda_daily_030915psd.png) Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov also said on Tuesday that
there had been no aid request. Russia is not in a good position to
offer aid as it faces its own economic crisis, aggravated by the
sanctions, a drop in global oil prices and the ruble's decline
against the U.S. dollar.
The Greek official said talks would focus on economic cooperation
and bilateral investment and trade, within what he called the
framework of the EU. "Greece knows what to do within the EU
framework but every country also has the sovereign right to look
after and improve its bilateral relations," the official said.
DECISION ON EU SANCTIONS LOOMS
Russia's agriculture minister said on Tuesday that Moscow could
consider removing Greece, Hungary and Cyprus from its ban on most
Western food imports, imposed in retaliation for the Western
sanctions over Ukraine.
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Russian business daily Kommersant also quoted a source in the
Russian government as saying Moscow may also offer Greece a discount
on gas deliveries and new loans.
The Kremlin gave few details of what would be discussed, but Putin
may be hoping to exploit Greece's problems and Orthodox Christian
links between the two countries to secure a deal giving Russia
access to Greek assets.
With Russia's relations with the West at a post-Cold War low over
the Ukraine conflict, and an EU decision looming on whether to
extend sanctions on Russia, Moscow could benefit from differences in
the EU over the sanctions.
"We want every EU country, in its choice of priorities and regional
and global partners, to be guided by its own national interests and
not by principles ... that are excuses to keep them all in an
anti-Russian harness," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said
separately in Moscow.
In Berlin, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said Germany had no reason
to think Athens has softened its stance towards sanctions, adding
that "so far Greece has supported all the decisions linked to
sanctions and we hope that will continue to be the case".
(Writing by Timothy Heritage, editing by Jason Bush and David Stamp)
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