On April 26, Chinese Ambassador Zou Xiaoli met at his residence with Mr. Voutis, President of the Hellenic Parliament. Mr. Kourakis, First Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Greece-China Friendship Group of the Hellenic Parliament, and Mr. Athanasiou, Secretary-General of the Hellenic Parliament, were present at the meeting.

President Voutsis briefed Ambassador Zou on the current political and economic situation of Greece. He said that the Greek Government and Parliament are comprehensively fulfilling their reform pledges, and working hard to reach agreement with international creditors as soon as possible on the relevant review so as to get next tranche of loans and create favorable conditions for economic recovery in Greece. He stressed that Greece regards China as an important strategic partner. The two sides enjoy broad cooperation prospects in finance, trade, culture, education and various other areas. The Hellenic Parliament is ready to play a positive role to usher in more progress in Greece-China relations.

Ambassador Zou said that he believed that the Greek government and people have the ability and wisdom to overcome difficulties and realize economic growth and social development through reforms. Ambassador Zou underlined that the COSCO Piraeus port project is a fine example of friendly cooperation between the two countries, with far-reaching impact. The two sides should continue to enhance communication and coordination to ensure greater success of the project and lead to comprehensive development of bilateral cooperation in trade, finance, culture, education, science and technology, and local cooperation. The Chinese Embassy stands ready to work with the Hellenic Parliament, and the Friendship Group in particular, towards this goal.