Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-09-21

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

CONTENTS

[01] PM Tsipras: Greece needs a stable and sustainable solution on debt

[02] PM Tsipras: Refugee crisis a global challenge

[03] FM Kotzias stresses need to strengthen bilateral dialogue with Baghdad

[01] PM Tsipras: Greece needs a stable and sustainable solution on debt

According to government sources, the prime minister said that significant steps have been taken on the debt issue and serious reforms have been carried out. Tsipras underlined that the Greek economy has already shown signs of recovery and stressed that Greece needs a stable and sustainable solution on the debt issue so that investments are accelerated.

The Greek prime minister also raised the issue of the IMF and institutions. As he said, Greece is not interested whether the IMF will decide to stay or leave as long as a stable and sustainable solution is found.

The same government sources said that Biden did not raise the issue of Greece adopting the IMF agenda in order to proceed with debt relief.

On the refugee issue, Tsipras said that there is no Plan B, there is only the EU-Turkey agreement, and stressed the importance of supporting that agreement in order to be implemented since it is the only available tool.

Biden praised Greece on the way it has dealt with the refugee crisis and added that the US puts emphasis on stability in Europe and "Greece is an integral part of European stability."

On the Cyprus issue, the Prime Minister said that the solution is stability in the region, and stressed that the Cyprus problem is a security problem, it is an occupation problem, what matters most for Greece is the withdrawal of the occupying forces, and this must be the first step of the solution.

"The essence is," according to government sources, "that there is will from both sides, there is progress in talks and we continue based on that."

The US seem willing to support these three issues, the government sources added, despite the fact that it is a transitory period ahead of the presidential elections.

Tsipras and Biden also agreed to be in constant contact on the initiatives and the issues raised by the Greek prime minister. The sources estimated the US relates the debt issue with the stability in Europe which is also related to the possibility for bigger investments and a more stable economic climate worldwide.

"For the US, the debt relief is related to stability in Europe," they said.

Biden did not specify that initiatives to be taken. On the IMF participation, he said that the US is monitoring the issue as they consider that it affects stability in Europe.

Tsipras will meet with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at 4 pm (local time). He will also meet with his British counterpart Theresa May, but time is not yet available.

[02] PM Tsipras: Refugee crisis a global challenge

Tsipras also thanked Yusra Mardini - the Syrian refugee that was among the refugees that had arrived in Greece and participated in the Olympics as a swimmer - for what she said, and for her courage.

"One of the parts of the world that is mostly tested today is Greece. A country that has dealt with 1.2 million refugees and migrants in less than half a year. Where approximately 60,000 refugees and migrants remain trapped, since our northern borders closed because of other countries' unilateral actions. If we were talking, for example, for Great Britain, this figure would correspond to a population of 520,000 refugees and migrants," the Greek prime minister said.

Moreover, Tsipras said that the Greek Asylum Service, which did not even exist three years ago, manages the fourth largest number of asylum applications in Europe while the Greek authorities, together with European and Turkish ones, are trying to implement "the very difficult but necessary EU-Turkey Agreement, leading to a drastic reduction of flows and, most importantly, deaths in the Aegean Sea - replacing the unlawful, dangerous path of the Aegean with a legal route to Europe."

"If this effort that is taking place in Greece - with the support of several EU countries - fails, the only winners in Europe will be the most xenophobic and nationalist voices. Forces that believe that the application of international law is a luxury and the sharing of responsibility is something unacceptable", he said and stressed the need for a strong international initiative that will set a new global framework for refugee management and weaken the xenophobic anti-migrant agenda.

"This framework must be strengthened: the support to countries hosting refugees, the return of people who are not entitled to international protection as well as the resettlement and relocation of those who need it, the initiatives to address the root causes of migration, including initiatives for peace in Syria, and police cooperation against human trafficking networks. Such a global framework is today more necessary than ever. And Greece is well aware of that," he concluded.

[03] FM Kotzias stresses need to strengthen bilateral dialogue with Baghdad

Kotzias met with the Foreign Minister of Iraq Ibrahim al-Jaafari as part of the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The Greek minister stressed the importance of Iraqi cultural heritage and the culture developed in Mesopotamia and referred to the initiative of establishing GC10, which includes 10 countries representing the most ancient civilizations of the world.

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