Spanish PM visits Greece for EU presidency warm-up

ATHENS, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodrigez Zapatero made a short stop in Athens on Wednesday afternoon as part of a tour from Europe to Middle East ahead of Madrid's EU Presidency as of January 1st, 2010.

During a meeting with his Greek counterpart George Papandreou at the New Acropolis Museum, the two leaders discussed bilateral and international issues such as the global financial crisis, stressing the need for a coherent EU policy.

Reiterating his belief that "green economy development is the answer to the present economic crisis," Papandreou announced his government's willingness to work closely together in the renewable sources technologies with Spain, one of the leading countries in this sector.

"Countries which will invest time and effort today will be the leaders in the future," Zapatero added.

Wishing his fellow socialist "dear friend" best success, Papandreou also expressed his country's "warmest support" for the priorities Spain chose concerning the Mediterranean Sea, such as the protection of the region's ecosystem, which will be one of the main topics at a summit the Spanish EU Presidency organizes in Barcelona on June.

The two leaders also discussed issues concerning the Balkans, Turkey's European perspective, the Cyprus issue and illegal immigration.

"We suffer from the same problem and we should give a European response in this section too," Zapatero noted.