President of the Hellenic Republic Karolos Papoulias is paying a three-day state visit to Armenia. Accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister Kyriakos Gerontopoulos, Papoulias met his Armenian counterpart yesterday and is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan, as well as representatives of the Greek communities in Armenia; he will also visit the National Assembly. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan briefed the Greek President on the talks for the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute and on the course of negotiations for Armenia's accession into the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). Papoulias on his part informed the Armenian President on issues of national interest and the talks on the Cyprus issue.

In a joint statement, both presidents expressed their hope that the ceasefire in Ukraine will allow the promotion of a solution to the Ukrainian problem. They also expressed their concern about the deterioration of the situation in the Middle East. "We watch developments in Syria, Iraq and the Middle East in general, with deep concern. I expressed our strong concern about the safety of the Christian populations in the Middle East, who very easily become targets of religious extremism," Papoulias said.

The two presidents inaugurated the Greece-Armenia Business Forum 2014 and signed a bilateral agreement on cooperation in the agricultural sector. President Papoulias also made a special reference to bilateral cooperation in the education sector, focusing on the operation of Greek language departments in Yerevan State University and in Brusov State University of Languages & Social Sciences, as well as to the scholarships granted by Greece to Armenian students to study in Greek universities.

Deputy Foreign Minister Gerontopoulos addressed the Greece-Armenia Business Forum and underscored the favourable environment for investments and business in Greece and said that promoting business cooperation is a top priority for Greek foreign policy.