page_title: Greece–Russia relations
section_title: Military cooperation
hierarchical_section_title: Greece–Russia relations / Military cooperation
caption_attribution_description: English: CONSTANTINE PALACE, STRELNA. President Putin and Greek Prime Minister Konstandinos Simitis before a plenary meeting of the Russia - EU Summit.Русский: СТРЕЛЬНА, КОНСТАНТИНОВСКИЙ ДВОРЕЦ. С Премьер-министром Греции Константиносом Симитисом перед началом пленарного заседания встречи на высшем уровне Россия – Европейский союз.
context_page_description: Greece–Russia relations refers to the bilateral relationship between Greece and Russia and their predecessor states. Diplomatic relations between the Russian Empire and the Greek state were established in September 1828. Both Greece and Russia are full members of some international organizations, including the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. Despite Greece being member of NATO and the European Union, their relationship has been notably strong.
  Greece has an Embassy in Moscow, and three Consulates General: in Moscow, in Saint Petersburg and in Novorossiysk. Russia has an embassy in Athens, and a Consulate General in Thessaloniki.
context_section_description: Greece is one of the few pre-1990 NATO member countries (alongside Germany for a time) that makes extensive use of Russian weapons. Greece first received many Soviet-era surplus weapons, such as BMP-1 armoured fighting vehicles, RM-70 rocket launchers, ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns and SA-8 anti-aircraft missile systems from the former East German National People's Army inventory in the early 1990s. Since then, Greece has additionally procured the TOR M-1 and S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems (the latter originally destined for Cyprus), the Kornet-E anti-tank missile, AK-74M assault rifles and ZUBR hovercrafts. The militaries of both countries also participate in programmes of military cooperation in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, as well as giving military support and training to countries that they have close relations with, such as Armenia, with Greece often accepting Armenian military officials in the Hellenic Military Academy.
caption: President Vladimir Putin with former PM Costas Simitis in 2003
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