Greece no longer at arms length - McAleese

President Mary McAleese said today that her visit - the first to Greece by an Irish head of state - was an important contribution to the development of relations between Ireland and Greece.

‘‘History and geography have conspired to keep us a little bit at arms length from one another,’’ she said in Athens.

‘‘Now that we are partners in the European Union we have both an opportunity, and also I think an obligation, to ensure that all the opportunities that are presented by our common partnership in the European Union are harnessed.’’

Greek Premier Costas Simitis said Greece had not developed ‘‘a particularly friendly, productive relationship’’ with Ireland because Britain - with whom Ireland was at odds - had a strong presence in Greece for the first half of the 20th century.

‘‘But that is in the past,’’ he added.

Discussions included EU issues, Simitis said, since both Ireland and Greece are member countries of approximately the same size and face similar problems in the 15 nation bloc.

Simitis said both countries support EU expansion, adding that Greece and Ireland would also work on improving their bilateral economic relations.

‘‘Ireland shows how a small country, despite its size, can have very good results concerning economic development and social cohesion,’’ he said.

Earlier today, Mrs McAleese, accompanied by her husband Martin, visited the ancient Acropolis and laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

She is expected to return to Ireland tomorrow afternoon.