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Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-05-03Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] PM and foreign minister meet to discuss foreign policyPrime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Tuesday had a meeting with Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis for an across-the-board discussion of foreign policy issues, including the Cyprus issue, relations with Turkey, the dispute over the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Karamanlis' upcoming trip to the United States.No statements were made by Molyviatis after the meeting. [02] Russian delegation's visit to northern Greece a first step in expanding bilateral tiesA five-day visit of a Russian delegation to the prefecture of Evros, which began on Friday, is one of many steps the Greek and Russian governments are taking in strengthening bilateral ties."The meeting between [Prime Minister Costas] Karamanlis and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin in December, signaled a new beginning of cooperation between the two countries," Deputy Foreign Minister Evripidis Stylianidis said during a joint press conference with Deputy Tourism Minister Anastassios Liaskos. "Effectively, it was the beginning of a targeted approach towards the Russian market, which was established after Greece assumed the presidency of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organisation (BSEC)," Stylianidis added. "After discussions we had with [President of Russia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry Evgeny] Primakov during our recent visit to Moscow, the first steps of cooperation between the two countries will begin in Thrace. The first step was the signing of the agreement concerning the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline, the next step will be holding a business forum in Athens in order to promote new collaborations, and the third was the visit of [Russian] journalists to get to know the area so that Russian tourists will visit later," Styliandis explained. Travel between Greece and Russia will be facilitated with the launch of direct flights on June 2 by Ionian Lines, which on Monday signed an agreement with Russia's Tupolev for the purchase of two airplanes. The flights will operate through the end of September and an estimated 10,000 Russian tourists are expected to visit Evros. "We are helping in the effort the prefecture of Evros is making and we proved through our presence here today and through funding that the Ministry of Tourism Development is making every systematic effort to promote the country, but also certain important prefectures such as Evros, as tourist destinations," Liaskos said. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |