MOSCOW. June 24 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian-Greek military cooperation and military industry contacts are developing dynamically, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said during talks in Moscow with his Greek counterpart Yiannos Papandoniou.
"I think there will be a good chance today to discuss plans for military and military-industrial cooperation," Ivanov said.
He also proposed that they discuss cooperation between Russia and the European Union in maintaining security and dealing with hot spots.
"The positive Greek presidency in the European Union has been appreciated" in Russia, Ivanov said.
Papandoniou said that Greece's relations with Russia have historically been friendly, and today there are conditions for their further development.
There is also an area of security cooperation with Russia that is run by NATO structures. Greece has been pressing for Russian participation in NATO, because we see that Russia is a European country and should take part in all international organizations, he went on.
European military forces are intensively being formed in the Greek-presided EU, Papandoniou said. These military forces will either be run by NATO or autonomously take part in peacekeeping operations. Some of these military forces are already in the Congo and the former Yugoslavia.
Within the next few months, he said, the parties would each a coordination agreement on a Russian participation in EU security structures.
He also said that Greece expected larger Russian participation in NATO defense and security structures. Global, including European, security must be based on shared principles and approaches, he added.