"Relations with Israel are relations of impeccable cooperation," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Grigoris Delavekouras told a scheduled press briefing on Thursday.
"I cannot imagine a reason why there would be a problem on behalf of the Israeli side. Our cooperation with Israel is very good," he said.
Greece and the Palestinian Authority agreed in Ramallah in October to upgrade the procedure covering the presentation of credentials of the latter's representative to Athens.
Instead of being received by the Greek foreign minister, the Authority's current representative Samir Abu Ghazaleh will on Tuesday present his credentials to the Greek president to renew his mission to Athens.
"This reflects the level of relations between Greece and the Palestinian Authority," Delavekouras said on Thursday.
While this procedure is normally reserved for embassies, a Foreign Ministry source said the Palestinian Authority would retain the rank of "diplomatic representation.”
Another five European countries – France, Spain, Portugal, Norway and Ireland – have recently accorded their Palestinian delegations a rank just below embassy.
Ireland's move last month was swiftly condemned by Israel.
But Delavekouras argued on Thursday: "Israel knows that it has a reliable interlocutor in Greece, precisely because Greece has the confidence of all sides ... and can help promote the [Middle Eastern] peace process."
Greece has for decades maintained close relations with the Palestinians, a policy ardently promoted by late premier Andreas Papandreou, the father of current Prime Minister George Papandreou.
Papandreou has now also begun a rapprochement with Israel, hoping to attract investment for Greece's struggling economy that nearly went bankrupt last year.
source: AFP/NOW Lebanon
