Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-06-23

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Karamanlis, Maystadt discuss EIB's funding to Greece

[02] Turkish Land Forces commander visits defence ministry during three-day visit to Athens

[01] Karamanlis, Maystadt discuss EIB's funding to Greece

Speaking to reporters, after the meeting, attended also by Economy and Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis, Maystadt said he discussed the cooperation of EIB with Greece and stressed that the bank was offering loans totalling 1.8 billion euros to fund major infrastructure projects in the country, such as parts of national road network in central Greece, Egnatia Road and the Thessaloniki Metro.

EIB's president said low economic growth rates in Europe affected smaller countries like Greece.

Economy and Finance Minister George Alogoskoufis said the meeting also discussed the supply of funding and know-how by EIB to support joint projects between the public and private sectors and noted that a draft legislation promoting such projects would be tabled to parliament in next few weeks. The Greek minister underlined that a draft law on banks' supplementary pension funds would not lead to more financial burdens. Commenting on Social Security Fund governor's forecast that a full introduction of existing laws on pension funds would burden IKA by around 9.0 billion euros, Alogoskoufis said he did not know of any study leading to this forecast.

[02] Turkish Land Forces commander visits defence ministry during three-day visit to Athens

Gen. Buyukanit was received by National Defence Minister Spilios Spiliotopoulos for a brief 15-minute meeting. According ministry sources, Spiliotopoulos noted in talks with the general that Turkey's statements about further developing bilateral relations with Greece were in conflict with the behaviour of the Turkish air force in the Aegean.

The minister also presented Buyukanit with a book on Greek antiquities, while the Turkish general presented the minister with the Turkish Land Forces' coat of arms.

After meeting Spiliotopoulos, Buyukanit visited the chief of the Greek Armed Forces General Staff, Admiral Panagiotis Hinofotis, and then held talks with Greek Army General Staff chief Lt. Gen. Nikolaos Douvas on promoting cooperation between the Greek and Turkish land forces in the framework of confidence building measures.

The Turkish land forces chief also presented his Greek counterpart with an invitation to visit Turkey next November.

Despite the Turkish general's presence in Athens, however, irregular activity by Turkish airforce planes above the Aegean was heightened for the second consecutive day. According to sources within the Greek Armed Forces General Staff, seven formations of Turkish fighter aircraft entered the Athens Flight Information Region on Thursday without submitting flight plans and in some cases violated Greek airspace above the north and central Aegean.

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