Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 13-02-27

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

CONTENTS

[01] FM in Canada, has talks with Senate Speaker Kinsella

[01] FM in Canada, has talks with Senate Speaker Kinsella

Kinsella also stressed that the Canadian MPs and Senators morally support their Greek colleagues "who are working hard to deal with the debt crisis in Greece", adding that the Europeans were late in seeing it, but are slowly realizing it.amna

Avramopoulos, in turn, stated Greece's deep appreciation to Canada, which he said had been the first country to manifest confidence in Greece during the crisis by proceeding with investments in our country.

He said that Greece and Canada are bound with long-term ties of friendship founded on respect for democracy and human rights.

He also noted that Greece is changing with respect to institutions and infrastructures and called on Canadian entrepreneurs to carry out investments in a country that is rapidly adjusting to the contemporary times, and also expressed pride for the Greek community in Canada as well as Greece's gratitude to the country hosting the Greek immigrants.

Avramopoulos further announced that the youth mobility pact signed between Greece and Canada by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper during his visit to Greece in the spring of 2011 has been ratified by the Hellenic parliament and thus the young people will have the ability to create substantive bridges of relations and experiences.

During a reception at the Canadian parliament in honour of Avramopoulos hosted by Kinsella the foreign minister held discussions with several MPs and Senators as well as with distinguished members of the Greek community in Ottawa.amna

On Tuesday evening, Avramopoulos met with the leaders and members of the Greek community in Montreal, to whom he admitted that Greece's image in the last three years has hurt the Greeks abroad and the injured the country's dignity, but assured then that the situation is changing, as the three-party coalition government reflects the climate of unity in the country and was proceeding with rapid changes to modernise its infrastructures and set the foundations for "the new Greece that will make us all proud and will regain the place it deserves in the world". He also said that optimistic messages were being received from the international field and that Greece has secured its position in the eurozone and is regaining the confidence of the markets.amna

United, he continued, the Greeks will emerge from the crisis, and noted that the Greeks abroad will play a significant role in the country's recovery, and urged Canadian and Greek-Canadian investors to invest in Greece which, despite the debt crisis, remains a factor of stability in the wider region of the Mediterranean.

On the sidelines of Avramopoulos' visit, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Greek-Canadian Chamber and the Hellenic Chamber in Montreal.

Earlier Tuesday, Avramopoulos met with Montreal Mayor Michael Applebaum.

Avramopoulos is also scheduled to meet later Wednesday with his Canadian counterpart John Baird for talks focusing on the latest developments in Europe and the efforts to deal with the economic crisis, EU-Canada relations and the developments in Southeastern Europe and the region of the Eastern Mediterranean.

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