Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-02-07

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM Tsipras, government ministers begin two-day visit to Iran

[02] Patriarch Bartholomew sends message of friendship between Greece and Turkey, through ANA-MPA

[01] PM Tsipras, government ministers begin two-day visit to Iran

Receiving the Greek prime minister, PTP President Mahdi Safarinia said that Tsipras was "the most independent leader in Europe" and explained that the PTP's membership included 30 hi-tech companies employing more than 3,000 scientists.

Tsipras said that the Greek government had elected to develop ties of a strategic nature with Iran and offered assurances that Greece will act as a conduit for establishing economic, trade and energy connections between Iran and the European Union.

The Greek prime minister, who departed for Tehran at the head of a large government delegation on Saturday, is to visit the Iranian capital for two days on Sunday and Monday. He is expected to have a series of significant meetings and discussions on bilateral and regional issues, being the first western leader to visit Iran after an agreement was reached on Iran's nuclear programme.

The Greek government sees the visit as a "strategic choice" that will lay the foundations for expanding relations with Iran and also highlight Greece's positive role in the region. Officials in both Athens and Tehran have expressed an intention to give a powerful boost to bilateral relations and to act as factors for stability in a troubled region of the world.

Government sources noted that Greece was proceeding to rekindle its relations with Iran, after reaffirming the strategic cooperation of Greece and Cyprus with both Israel and Egypt, and establishing relations with "a regional player having considerable influence, who is returning onto the global scene after having normalised relations with the west."

The focus during bilateral contacts is expected to centre on energy and renewable energy sources, construction, water management, tourism (with a view to attracting Iranian tourists to visit Greece), culture, finance, food and the pharmaceuticals industry.

Apart from the prime minister, the Greek delegation also includes Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, Economy, Development and Tourism Minister George Stathakis, Environment and Energy Minister Panos Skourletis, Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Mardas and the foreign ministry's General Secretary for International Economic Relations and Developmental Cooperation Giorgos Tsipras.

Starting the visit at the historic city of Isfahan, the Greek delegation will then have a series of meetings in the Iranian capital, including ones with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini and Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, leading to the signature of several agreements.

[02] Patriarch Bartholomew sends message of friendship between Greece and Turkey, through ANA-MPA

"We remembered the old glorious days of Smyrna and Ionia generally but also the old, tragic days for our people. We remembered the victims of the tragedy of the 1920s and prayed for the refugees that facing such dangers cross the Aegean, trying to secure a better future for themselves and their children," he said.

"And we especially wanted through our worship here and all that was said to contribute to further cementing relations between Greece and Turkey, two neighbouring and allied people. We are happy to be informed that the ANA-MPA shares the same convictions and the same goals and wishes to also contribute in the same direction of friendship and creative cooperation between Greece and Turkey," he said, expressing his best wishes for the success of these endeavours.

Talking to ANA-MPA General Director Michalis Psilos, he also gave his blessing for the agency's recently launched new website in Turkish.

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