advertisement

France's Valls in Greece for talks on economic cooperation

ATHENS, Greece (AP) - France's prime minister has arrived in Greece amid tight security for a two-day visit expected to focus on economic cooperation.

Manuel Valls is due to meet Greece's figurehead president, Procopis Pavlopoulos, later Thursday. On Friday, he will hold talks with left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

Police sealed off a chunk of central Athens on Thursday to allow Valls to lay a wreath at the Unknown Soldier's Tomb outside Parliament.

Greek officials hope French companies will show interest in the country's massive privatization drive, which is a key condition of the debt-crippled country's bailout program.

France is one of the European nations contributing to Greece's bailout programs.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.