ATHENS — Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed investments, bilateral trade, tourism and cultural collaboration on the phone on Wednesday.

The conversation was held on occasion of the 15th anniversary of "Integrated Strategic Partnership" agreement (2006), which upgraded Greece-China relations from the level of constructive engagement to a strategic partnership.

The two leaders agreed that the "Greece-China Year of Culture & Tourism" – to begin in September 2021 and extend to 2022 – is a good opportunity to further strengthen relations and increase tourist flows between the two countries.

With China a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the role it can play in consolidating stability in the Eastern Mediterranean was also discussed. Mitsotakis expressed Greece's appreciation for China's stable stance in favor of settling the Cyprus issue on the basis of UN Security Council decisions.

Finally, Mitsotakis accepted an invitation to attend the 2022 Winter Olympics, to be held in Beijing.