Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Wednesday received visiting European Parliament President Hans Gert Pöttering at his Maximos Mansion office in Athens.

Afterwards, Karamanlis underlined the long-standing friendship he has with the current Euro-parliament president.

"His lengthy contribution to this institution and his valuable experience has been the most powerful guarantees for a successful presidency," Karamanlis said in reference to Pöttering's tenure.

According to the Greek premier, implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, increasing the role of the European Parliament, the Union's enlargement, as well as the problem of illegal immigration was discussed.

On his part, Pöttering expressed his thanks towards the Greek government and opposition for their support of the Lisbon Treaty. He also spoke warmly of Karamanlis and thanked Greek Parliament president Dimitris Sioufas for the latter's dedication to Europe, as he said, adding:

"Countries that have not yet ratified the Lisbon Treaty should look to Greece as an example," a reference to the rapid ratification of the treaty by the country's Parliament.