ATHENS, February 11 (RIA Novosti, Alexei Bogdanovsky) - Greece hopes for simplification of visa procedures with Russia, the Greek deputy foreign minister said Saturday.

"We plan to play an active role and speak out in the EU with initiatives simplifying the visa regulations," Yannis Valinakis said.

The deputy minister said the country's consulate in Moscow would soon move to a more modern building, which would make it possible to receive more Russian citizens planning to visit Greece.

"During his recent visit to Athens, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov thanked Greece for its readiness to simplify the process of issuing visas, and expressed satisfaction with the growing number of Russian tourists going to Greece," Valinakis said.