Greek PM visits Israel for first time in decades

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou met in Jerusalem last Thursday during the first visit to Israel by a Greek Prime Minister in three decades.

They held a joint press conference on Thursday after a meeting between the two prime ministers in Tel Aviv. Papandreou, on his part, thanked Netanyahu for his willingness to support the actions of the Greek

The Greek Prime Minister also referred to a further development of cooperation in tourism, agriculture, trade and technology.

Concerning the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, Papandreou praised the Israeli government's decision to relax the blockade but stressed that a series of measures would now be necessary for a final solution to the problems.

He also expressed hope and conviction that indirect talks on the Palestinian problem would lead to direct talks in the near future. On his part, Israel's Prime Minister acknowledged the national debt crisis faced by Papandreou saying "I know how difficult economic reform can be, I want to do everything I can to improve Greece's and Israel's economic ties."

Netanyahu also stressed the many things that Greece and Israel shared in common, which he said arose from a shared set of values and principles. He said that their talks had focused primarily on the peace process negotiations, establishing peace in the region and peace with neighbours, adding that this "could not be different".

"We exchanged views on how this could be achieved. We had a constructive dialogue that came to supplement all that we had first discussed during our chance meeting some time ago in a restaurant in Moscow," Netanyahu said.

He said the two sides had also explored ways of extending existing economic ties in the fields of technology, know-how, trade and agriculture.

Papandreou indirectly replied to articles in the Israeli and foreign press concerning the timing of his visit, saying that the strengthening of relations was a standing policy for Athens and underlining his intention for more initiatives to promote the peace process. "We are neighbours, we live in the same region, we desire peace and we do not take advantage of conflicts in the area.

We are taking and I will take further initiatives, including with Turkey, for a peaceful dialogue in order to proceed with building a peaceful neighbourhood for the benefit of all," he stressed. The Greek Prime Minister invited his Israeli counterpart to visit Greece, an invitation that Netanyahu accepted, promising to carry out the visit in the near future.

The Greek Prime Minister, accompanied by Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas and government spokesman George Petalotis, on Thursday also met Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman and Israel's main opposition party leader Tzipi Livny.

After meeting Israeli officials, Papandreou met the family of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and then depart for Ramallah for talks with the Palestinian Authority leadership.