Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 15-04-07

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

CONTENTS

[01] FM Kotzias meets Turkish European Affairs Minister, Serbian counterpart in Budapest

[02] We will terminate policies that devastated the country, Defence Min says

[03] Partners and lenders cannot play with Greece, PM Tsipras says

[04] FinMin Varoufakis to visit Paris

[01] FM Kotzias meets Turkish European Affairs Minister, Serbian counterpart in Budapest

The two Ministers carried out a review of Greek-Turkish bilateral relations while special reference was made to energy cooperation between the two countries and jointly with the other countries participating in the pentalateral meeting, as well as to Turkey's European perspective.

Earlier in the day Kotzias also met Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić and discussed a wide range of issues and looked at the course of bilateral political and economic cooperation, with emphasis on the sectors of energy and transport. They also exchanged views on Serbia's European perspective, developments in the Western Balkans, and matters of international and regional interest.

[02] We will terminate policies that devastated the country, Defence Min says

He stressed that the country's sovereignty, its mineral wealth, homes and businesses of Greek citizens will not be mortgaged. He did not say ‘No' to an "honorable compromise" with the lenders, he added, however, that their failure to meet the agreements deprives the compromise of such features. He assessed based on the behavior of lenders that "they do not want an agreement." He reminded that the mandate of the Greek people summed up to the defense of the national sovereignty, the end of the internal devaluation and termination of the policy 'that devastated the country."

If the lenders say no to what has been agreed, which include the payment of the tranches to the country, then we will pay the installments and we will make sure we develop the Greek economy, wherever possible, but this means "they chose the impasse", he said.

He said if there are any dilemmas that will question the will of the Greek people, then "they will speak up through elections or a referendum." He said the county has got nothing during the last eight months, however it has been paying its tranches and at the same it operates. Regarding payments, he did not question "the IMF money that will be paid", but the ECB and the lenders. He added that the ‘red lines' are further cuts in pensions and wages, mass layoffs as well as the privatizations of productive units, of the PPC, of OLP or the site of the former Elliniko airport. He ruled out the imposing of increased VAT on the islands.

He lashed out at Germany saying it was after the country's political submission, as well as to send out a messaged that "Germany rules Europe."

He also said that the government and the Finance minister have not agreed or signed anything binding for the country.

Asked on the government's plan in case of rupture, he made clear that Greece does not want a Grexit and added that we will defend the sovereignty of the Greek people.

He said that in such a case, the government would reach agreements with anyone it can, apart from the lenders and cited as an example countries such as the United States, Russia, China, India and Middle East countries.

Asked on the joint exploitation of the mineral wealth of the Aegean with the US, he said he spoke of "internationally recognized rates of joint exploitation" and added that the declaration of the EEZ and the joint exploitation of the mineral wealth are associated with the strategic choices that the country will make.

[03] Partners and lenders cannot play with Greece, PM Tsipras says

Tsipras in his speech underlined that the proposal for an investigation committee does not seek to criminalize the neoliberal ideas of the memorandums, but to find out "whether beyond the implementation of a bad, obsessive and ideological choice, acts that had other, non-ideological motives were implemented."

More specifically, they will look into the revision of the deficit, the decision of the Bank of Greece to increase the time for the settlement of Greek bonds from three to ten days, the change of memorandum regime in November 2011 and into how a Greek prime minister was overthrown after 37 years of parliamentary democracy, as well as into the PSI, the Agricultural Bank and the second bank recapitalisation.

[04] FinMin Varoufakis to visit Paris

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