Armenia–Greece relations  Greco-Armenian relations refer to the bilateral relations between Armenia and Greece. Due to the strong political, cultural and religious ties between the two nations, (the vast majority of Armenians and Greeks practice the Eastern Christian faith), Armenia and Greece today enjoy excellent diplomatic relations. They have always been strong both emotionally and historically due to religious and cultural roots and co-existence during the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. All three Presidents of Armenia paid official visits to Greece and there are high-level contacts between the two countries. Greece formally recognized the Armenian Genocide in 1996, while Armenia formally recognized the Greek Genocide in 2015. In the Greek language, Armenia is called Αρμενία ("Armenia"), the Armenians are called Αρμένιοι ("Armenii") and the Armenian language is called αρμένικα ("Armenica"). In the Armenian language, Greece is called Հունաստան ("Hounastan"), the Greeks are called հույներ ("Houyner") and the Greek language is called Հունարեն ("Hounaren"). The Greek transcription of the Armenian word for Armenia ("Հայաստան") is Χαγιαστάν ("Hayiastan"). The Armenian transcription of the Greek word for the Greek language ("Ελληνικά ") is էլլինիկա ("Ellinika"). Both being ancient civilizations, Armenians and Greeks have co-existed for centuries. There are ancient notes by Greek historians suggesting of the roots of Armenians. The earliest reference to Armenia was made by the Greek historian Hecataeus of Miletus in 525 BC. According to a hypothesis proposed by linguists during the 20th century, the Armenian and Greek languages share a common ancestor. This has led to the proposal of a Graeco-Armenian language, post-dating the Proto-Indo-European language. Herodotus suggests that the Armenians are descendants of the Phrygians. Plato had early noticed the similarities between the Greek and the Phrygian languages.