Last summer, Moscow hit back at Western economic sanctions by prohibiting the import of many food products from the European Union and the United States. Russia estimates that EU members states lost about $45 billion in 2014 due to the restrictions, and will lose even more in 2015.
Staikos, who leads the Greek business delegation at the St, Petersburg International Economic Forum, which kicks off Thursday, said Athens realizes that Russia cannot make an exception for any individual EU country. He stressed that the negative consequences of the food embargo are "obvious on both sides."
"Two of the biggest Greek meat processing companies, one dairy company, two export-oriented trading fruit companies and one cooperative union of fruit producers will join SPIEF 2015 in order to explore new co-operation and strengthen existing relations with Russian and other international companies," Staikos also said.
Staikos noted that the Greek companies participating in the St. Petersburg forum, due to kick off Thursday, would look "to build stronger relationships with major players in the local food market."
Greek top-level officials, including Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, have repeatedly said that Athens does not support the sanctions imposed on Russia by the European Union. According to Tsipras, Greece has raised the issue of anti-Russia sanctions at various EU summits.
