OREANDA-NEWS. September 23, 2013. The VI Meeting of the Intergovernmental Ukraine-Greek Commission will intensify bilateral relations.

This was started by Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov on Thursday during a meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Greece to Ukraine Vassilis Papadopoulos.

"We are preparing for the sixth meeting of the Intergovernmental Ukraine-Greek working group on economic and scientific cooperation. Previous meeting was held in 2011 in Athens. Now it will be held here in Kiev. We are ready to meet your delegation. During and this meeting we could discuss practical mechanisms that will accelerate our cooperation," Mykola Azarov said.

PM added that Ukraine and Greece have considerable potential for enhancing bilateral cooperation.

However, Mykola Azarov said that Ukraine is home to a large Greek diaspora and therefore we have every opportunity to intensify cooperation between the two countries in cultural and humanitarian sphere. In this context, he instructed the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure to consider the introduction of direct air service from Donetsk to Athens.

The Prime Minister also stressed that Ukraine is preparing for the signing the Association Agreement and free trade area with the European Union and thank Greece for its consistent support of Ukrain’s European integration aspirations.

In turn, Vassilis Papadopoulos said that his country would continue to support Ukraine's European integration.

The Ambassador stressed that Greece chairs the EU from January 1, 2014, and promised Ukraine all necessary assistance for its European aspirations.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Greece to Ukraine said number of Ukrainian tourists that visited Greece last year increased by 100% and he expressed the hope that next year the number of Ukrainian tourists also increased.

In turn, Mykola Azarov said that, liberalization of visa regime between Ukraine and Greece and visa facilitation even in the summer will contribute to the increasing the number of Ukrainian tourists, which visit Greek resorts.