Photo taken on April 30, 2018 shows Greek Economy and Development Deputy Minister Stergios Pitsiorlas at his office in Athens, Greece. Greece sees great prospects and hope in the Belt and Road Initiative and claims a key role in cooperation between Europe and China, Greek Economy and Development Deputy Minister Stergios Pitsiorlas told Xinhua in an interview on Monday. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

By Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Greece sees great prospects and hope in the Belt and Road Initiative and claims a key role in cooperation between Europe and China, Greek Economy and Development Deputy Minister Stergios Pitsiorlas told Xinhua in an interview on Monday.

A year after the signing of a three-year-action plan on economic cooperation between Greece and China in Beijing during the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Pitsiorlas talked about the achievements so far, the plans for the near future and Greece's position in the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

Proposed in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa on and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes. It comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

Sino-Greek cooperation at Piraeus Port in recent years has become one of the strongest symbols of win- win collaboration along the under-construction modern Silk Road which will be linking the West with the East through trade and infrastructure networks. Bilateral ties have advanced and deepened in many sectors.

"The signing of the three year action plan was an important step and apparently linked to the development of the entire Silk Road strategy from the Chinese side. Greece sees in this strategy a great prospect and hope," Pitsiorlas said.

"In general we think that the framework of Sino-Greek relations is, I would say, substantially developing and being upgraded," he added.

The three-year action plan concerns infrastructure projects in the fields of transport, energy and telecommunications. Significant steps have already been made in the first two sectors, more needs to be done in the third, the Greek minister said.

Athens is currently in talks with China Development Bank to expand its presence in Greece, and expects that this development will further support investment initiatives, he noted.

Greece and China are also discussing and making progress on tourism cooperation as well as the issue of the further development of trade relations, he said.

Greece is preparing to attend the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) to be held in Shanghai this November with a very high level delegation from many companies.

One of the issues in relations between China and Greece, China and Europe is the imbalance in the trade, Pitsiorlas explained.

Athens sees the Shanghai expo as an initiative in the right direction which could help close this gap and facilitate wider cooperation between China and Greece, China and Europe in other sectors, he said.

Sino-Greek strategic partnership and China's increasing investments in Greece in the years of the crisis were not always warmly welcomed by third parties. The path of cooperation between the East and the West along the B&R Initiative route has not been always rosy.

"It is a fact that in recent years we have had an increase in questions and skepticism in Europe for the great growth of China's activities in the entire region. We think that to some extent it is normal. It is the first time that this is happening to this extent," Pitsiorlas said.

"On the other hand, we think that the response to the issues that this development is creating cannot be a return to protectionism and the construction of walls again. We believe that between Europe and China there must be a relationship of fertile dialogue and fertile cooperation. And we claim a role for Greece in this context," the Greek minister stressed.

As the issues have been gradually put on the table of discussions between China and Europe, Pitsiorlas voiced optimism that the outcome will be positive for all.

"The main goal should be finding a balanced relationship ... I believe that finally we will find solutions that will be beneficial for everyone," he underlined.