The congratulatory message reads, in part:
“We value greatly your personal contribution to building up the traditionally friendly relations between Russia and Greece, relations that have been developing dynamically in all fields of cooperation over these last years. Greece is our strategic partner with whom we share longstanding historical and cultural ties. I am sure that through our joint efforts we can ensure that our cooperation continues to develop effectively at both bilateral and international level. Increased political and economic cooperation between our two countries will without a doubt contribute towards strengthening stability and security in Europe and throughout the world.”