Security to be beefed up in Athens for Macron visit
More than 2,000 police officers are to be deployed across Athens for a scheduled visit this week by the French President Emmanuel Macron that the government is keen to use to exploit its narrative that Greece is turning a corner.
Greek authorities have been beefing up security, in cooperation with their French counterparts, ahead of Macron's two-day visit which is scheduled to begin on Thursday.
The presence of Greek police will be particularly strong around the French Embassy and the French Institute which Macron is scheduled to visit on Friday.
Police are taking additional precautions following a hand grenade attack on the French Embassy last November and two arson attacks in February on the French Institute.
Expectations over the visit are high in Athens as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras seeks to strengthen relations with Paris as a counterbalance to the austerity being demanded by Berlin. Specifically Tsipras is hoping for some concrete decisions to be announced during the visit following interest expressed by French companies in investing in the Thessaloniki Port Authority.
