(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening (Wednesday, 29 May 2013), met with Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos and made the following remarks at the start of the meeting: "Welcome to Israel. We were just commenting on the similar colors of the flags, and that shouldn’t be a surprise because Jerusalem and Athens are the foundation of Western civilization. In the last four years links between us have grown dramatically and there’s much more to be done, and that’s what we’re going to discuss. It’s good to see you in Jerusalem, we’re two sister democracies in the eastern Mediterranean. There are not too many around."
Greek Foreign Minister Avramopoulos said: "Prime Minister, that's why I am here today. I really believe that we have given a new momentum to our relations. The future is very auspicious. We are much closer to each other, and we are determined to work together. There are so many things that we can do. In all things: in economy, in business, in investments, in energy, in tourism, in research. 400,000 Israelis visited Greece last year, and from what we believe, this year the number will grow.