Lavrov arrives in Athens for talks on Tuesday

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrives in Athens on Tuesday to discuss bilateral ties, the Cyprus peace talks, and developments in the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.

Lavrov will hold talks with his Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and President Prokopis Pavlopoulos.

The visit comes on the heels of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s in May.

Diplomatic sources say Greece is keen to maintain lines of communication with Moscow as the government views its recent isolation as counterproductive.

Both Lavrov and Kotzias will attend the fourth Greek-Russian Social Forum at Zappeion and will also sign a plan regarding consultations between the Russian and Greek foreign ministries for 2017-19 .