Shanghai Vice Mayor Tu Guangshao [R] meets incoming consul general of Greece on April 17 in Shanghai.

On the morning of April 17, Vice Mayor Tu Guangshao welcomed Dr. Evgenio Kalpyris, the incoming Consul General of Greece in Shanghai at the City Hall.

Tu first greeted the new Consul General and congratulated on his appointment. He said that both China and Greece were ancient civilizations, and the peoples of the two counties were good friends throughout the history.

Shanghai is a major economic, trade and culture center of China and is willing to contribute to the closer ties between the two countries. Tu hoped that the new Consul-General could promote deeper and broader cooperation between China and Greece, and in particular Shanghai and Greece.

Tu then added that he visited Greece in July 2011, and was strongly impressed by the Greek Government's achievements in preserving culture and history, protecting heritage and cultivating strong awareness of heritage protection among the youth. In these areas, there was much that Shanghai could learn.

Kalpyris said that as the economy continued to grow, cultural development should also be scaled up. On the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of the China-Greece Diplomatic Relations, the Consulate-General will devote itself to strengthening cooperation in trade & commerce, investment, tourism, shipping and culture. Kalpyris also proposed new themes of cooperation including the history of the Olympics and youth culture exchange.