Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-07-31

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM in Sofia on Monday for Greek-Bulgarian High-Level Cooperation Council

[02] Greece aims to break 2015 record for tourist arrivals, Kountoura says

[01] PM in Sofia on Monday for Greek-Bulgarian High-Level Cooperation Council

The prime minister, who will be arriving at the head of a government delegation, will have meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov and Bulgaria's President Rosen Plevneliev. There will also be meetings between Greek ministers accompanying the premier and their Bulgarian counterparts, on the sidelines of the Cooperation Council, after which a series of bilateral agreements are to be signed.

The delegation arriving with the premier will include: Economy, Development and Tourism Minister George Stathakis, Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, Labour, Social Insurance and Social Solidarity Minister George Katrougalos, Energy and Environment Minister Panos Skourletis, Infrastructure, Transport and Networks Minister Christos Spirtzis, Alternate Migration Policy Minister Yiannis Mouzalas, Alternate Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas, Deputy Infrastructure, Transport and Networks Minister Marina Chrysoveloni.

The prime minister's visit is to focus on four main areas of cooperation: energy, politics and diplomacy, defence cooperation, and also economic and infrastructure development. Government sources said that the visit to Bulgaria marks the launch of a series of contacts focusing on the Balkans, Arab countries and Persian Gulf.

Noting that Bulgaria was now one of Greece's closest and most reliable partners in the Balkans, the sources said that Bulgaria was also an important partner for the energy planning of the United States and European Union, especially through the TransAdriatic Pipeline (TAP) and Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) pipeline projects involving Greece and in connection with the planned Alexandroupolis Liquified Natural Gas station.

On a political and diplomatic level, the aim of the prime minister's visit is to upgrade political dialogue with Bulgaria, especially on cooperation issues, developments in the Black Sea and relations with Russia.

On the economic and infrastructure levels, areas of mutual interest are cross-border cooperation in transport, including a rail link to connect the Black Sea with the Aegean in Alexandroupolis that bypasses the Turkish straits and opens up prospects for trade with Russia. The two sides will also sign agreements on tourism and discuss management of the Evros River waters.

In defence cooperation, following a visit last week by Defence Minister Panos Kammenos, the focus will be on transferring expertise to help modernise the Bulgarian armed forces and defence industry.

The prime minister's complete itinerary during the visit is as follows:

10:00 PM and government delegation arrive in Sofia

10:30 Tsipras and Borisov have one-on-one meeting

10:30 - 11:30 Bilateral meetings between Greek and Bulgarian ministers

11:30 High-Level Cooperation Council session begins

12:40 Bilateral agreements are signed

13:00 Joint statements by Tsipras and Borisov

13:30 Working lunch for the two government delegations

15:15 Tsipras meets Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev

[02] Greece aims to break 2015 record for tourist arrivals, Kountoura says

"The figures for international airline arrivals at Athens airport are constantly touching new highs since the start of the year, with the first six months ending with an increase of 4.4 pct," she noted, while the figures were even more encouraging in regional airports, where the increase was 9 pct in July and 10 pct in August, and in Greek ports.

She pointed to a recent announcement by the British travel agencies union that bookings by UK tourists to Greece had increased 5 pct this summer, saying this was cause for optimism, while also noting a sharp increase in the number of Russian tourists.

"In the first five months of 2016 alone, arrivals [of Russians] increased by more than 47 pct compared with the same period in 2015," Kountoura reported, adding that most of Greece's major tourist markets were showing an increase, including last-minute bookings.

The minister said Greece was now seeking to promote the year-round options offered by the country, such as cultural, religious, sports, outdoors and city-break tourism, while expressing satisfaction with the growth of the cruise sector.

"The port of Piraeus has already received the largest number of cruise ships and visitors this year and has the option of becoming established as a popular homeport in the Mediterranean," she said.

Greece's aim was to retain its international appeal as an attractive destination offering unique, authentic experiences at a very good price-to-quality ratio and with a sense of safety and security for visitors, Kountoura added.

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