Putin is currently in Athens, where he arrived to meet with leaders of Greece and Bulgaria to discuss economic relations, and in particular, an ambitious oil pipeline project.
"We have a great deal of cooperation, and I will be glad to discuss bilateral relations, consider the international agenda and topical issues with the main focus on the economy," Putin said at his meeting with Kostas Karamanlis.
The Greek prime minister said in turn that Russia was always a strategic partner for his country.
"You can be sure that Greece pays special attention to the further development of relations with Russia in all spheres, and to the strengthening of relations between the European Union and Russia," Karamanlis said. "That is why Russia is a strategic partner for us in all senses."
The Russian, Bulgarian and Greek governments signed a memorandum on the construction of a pipeline stretching 280 kilometers (175 miles) from the Bulgarian port of Burgas on the Black Sea to Greece's Alexandroupolis on the Aegean in April 2005.
