French President François Hollande is in Athens today on an official one-day visit, during which he will be meeting with Hellenic Republic President Karolos Papoulias, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, and the leaders of the other coalition parties, Evangelos Venizelos and Fotis Kouvelis. Hollande and Samaras will also be attending a business forum, where an agreement will be signed between Hellenic Federation of Enterprises and the French MEDEF for the establishment of a Greece-France Business Council.

In an interview with Ta Nea daily, ahead of the visit, Hollande said "I am here to offer France's support to Greece," and expressed confidence that French businesses would invest in the country. Greece’s sacrifices, "have been more painful than those of any other country," he added, pointing out that although making the state budget healthier is necessary, it is not enough; what is needed is measures supporting development.