Kyriakos Mitsotakis became on Sunday the first Prime Minister of Greece to officially visit Japan in 17 years, amna.gr reports.
The last Greek PM to visit the country was Kostas Karamanlis in 2005.
The Greek leader will hold meetings in Japan until Thursday and said he aims to present the positive development of Greece’s economy despite the obstacles of recent external crises.
“Good morning from Japan! It is an important visit to one of the largest economies in the world and one with which we hope to develop even closer relations,” Mitsotakis posted on Facebook shortly after his arrival in the country.
The Greek Prime Minister said that during the years of the debt crisis, Japanese institutional investors stopped investing due to Greece’s loss of investment grade. This was something that would change, Mitsotakis said.
“Now that we are on the doorstep before regaining it [investment grade], this visit is more than just timely,” he said.
During his visit, Mitsotakis will hold meetings aiming both to strengthen bilateral relations and open cooperation ways between Greece and Japan.
The Greek Prime Minister will meet with Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan, Hiroyuki Hosoda, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Mitsotakis is expected to highlight the important role Greece could play as a bridge for Japan to the European Union, NATO, Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans.
Source: amna.gr
