ATHENS. Dec 6 (Interfax-AVN) - Greece is open to extensive military cooperation with Russia, Greek Defense Minister Evangelos-Vassilios Meimarakis said after talks with his visiting Russian counterpart, Sergei Ivanov.
Meimarakis said he and Ivanov had discussed the entire spectrum of relations between their countries' defense establishments and that both ministers had expressed a desire to work for more extensive Greek-Russian military cooperation.
Russia's bids to sell weapons to Greece would go through a transparent selection procedure on the same terms as bids from other countries, Meimarakis said.
He said recent visits to Athens by Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov had imparted new dynamics to Greek-Russian relations.
Meimarakis described Russia and Greece as traditionally friendly countries and strategic partners, and he called relations between the countries exceptionally close and cordial.