ATHENS, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- China's Sichuan Province and Greece's Attica Region signed a twinning agreement on Tuesday aimed to broaden and deepen cooperation in many fields on the regional level and help bring closer Greek and Chinese people.
"Today we signed a very important cooperation agreement between Attica region and Sichuan, one of China's largest provinces, aimed to collaborate on one hand to tackle in the best possible ways the pandemic which unfortunately is here, and in parallel to build the future through tourism, trade, development and progress," Giorgos Patoulis, governor of Attica Region, told Xinhua after the video signing ceremony hosted in Athens at the Chinese embassy.
Enhanced cooperation between Greece's largest region and a "cradle of Chinese culture and major trade hub and industrial center of China" will build more bridges of friendship and cooperation between the two countries, Patoulis said, addressing the event.
The Greek official expressed once again gratitude for the precious aid China provided to Attica and Greece during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first large load of medical supplies to reach Athens airport in March was donated by the Chinese government and businesses.
During her address, Chinese Ambassador to Greece Zhang Qiyue hailed the Sino-Greek cooperation in the face of the new challenge as an exemplary case of cooperation between the two countries.
"Even the pandemic cannot stop the exchanges between our two sides. We think that cooperation and good relations between provinces and cities are a very important part of our bilateral relationship," Zhang told Xinhua.
She also voiced her confidence in the sister province relationship between Attica and Sichuan.
"We are very optimistic that with the signing of the MoU there will be cooperation in every aspect in the coming months and years," she said.
The ambassador noted that the next year is especially important because there will be a lot of activities in the framework of 2021 Greece and China Year of Culture and Tourism which coincides with the 200th anniversary of Greece's Independence Revolution.
She also warmly welcomed the Attica region's interest in promoting Chinese language teaching. The Chinese side will facilitate the initiative, as the people to people relationship is very significant, she told Xinhua.
Addressing Tuesday's ceremony, Sichuan Province's Governor Yin Li and Greek ambassador to China Georgios Iliopoulos also welcomed the plan to open a Greek consulate in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province, soon, as well as a plan to launch a direct flight from Athens to Chengdu once the pandemic is over. Enditem
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