PM Mitsotakis to meet Putin by the end of the year, Dendias to return to Russia: reports

It is expected that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will visit Russian President Vladimir Putin by the end of the year.

It comes as the visit of Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias to Russia, specifically the cities of Sochi, Anapa and Gelendzhik where the "fire" of Hellenism in the Diaspora continues to burn to this day, was positively assessed.

According to a diplomatic source, Dendias' visit is considered successful in terms of the positive climate between the two official, their lines of interest, and what was agreed between them.

The location was chosen by the Greek Foreign Minister as his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, at their last meeting in Athens had asked him to choose their meeting place.

The Greek Foreign Minister chose Sochi, where a Greek Consulate will open in the future.

At the same time, with this choice, the Greek minister wanted to emphasise the common historical ties between the two countries.

"It is no coincidence that in all his public statements, Nikos Dendias spoke about 2,500 years of common history that Greece has with the region he visited," the same diplomatic source said.

"Among other things, he wanted to emphasise our common heritage," the source added.

By the end of the year, Dendias will visit southern Russia again.

At the same time, it appears that Mitsotakis will visit Moscow to meet with Putin by the end of the year.

Mitsotakis' visit is related to a series of agreements that Greece and Russia are expected to sign in the near future.

These agreements relate to the economy, transport and trade.

Prospects for the economy were raised and discussions were resumed on restarting bilateral trade, which shrunk due to European Union sanctions imposed against Russia.

At the same time, in the framework of the bilateral agreements, Greece is expected to send educational staff in order to ensure the survival of the Greek language in southern Russia.

The Greek Consulate in Novorossiysk will also be upgraded so that expatriates can go to Greece with greater ease.

At the same time, events are expected regarding the common basis of the Greek-Russian Orthodox tradition since Saint Cyril and Methodius, as envoys of the Byzantine (East Roman) Empire, brought an alphabet to the Russians hundreds of years ago.

READ MORE: “Kalimera!”: Dendias welcomed by adorable Greek children in southern Russia (VIDEO).