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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-01-06
CONTENTS
[01] President Pavlopoulos urges unity to overcome the crisis, in message
for Epiphany
[02] Greece offers friendship to all but defends its territorial rights,
PM says in Alexandroupolis
[01] President Pavlopoulos urges unity to overcome the crisis, in message
for Epiphany
President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Friday
urged Greeks to stand united as they struggle to overcome the social
and economic crisis and defend the country's rights, in his message
for the Feast of the Epiphany celebrated throughout the country.
"I hope that the Light of Christianity, which is both the light of our
faith but also the light of our civilisation, will lead our steps, the
steps of Europe, the steps of humanity, to the path of peace, democracy
and human dignity. Especially for our country and our nation, I hope the
eternal radiance of Epiphany will illuminate, as a beacon of unbroken
unity, our thoughts and our actions in our common sacred struggle to
overcome the deep social and economic crisis and to defend fully our
nation's rights," the president said after attending a ceremony for the
blessing of the waters in central Athens.
[02] Greece offers friendship to all but defends its territorial rights,
PM says in Alexandroupolis
Greece extends a hand of friendship and cooperation to all but is
determined to defend its territorial rights, Prime Minister Alexis
Tsipras said on Friday. He made the statement in a message after
attending an Epiphany ceremony for the blessing of the waters in the
northeastern port city of Alexandroupolis, also attended by Alternate
National Defence Minister Dimitris Vitsas.
"It is no accident that we are here today, in the easternmost major
port of the European Union, in Alexandroupolis. Using the opportunity
afforded by my own presence here, that of the Alternate National Defence
Minister and the chief of the National Defence General Staff, I wish to
send a message of friendship, cooperation but also of our determination
to defend our rights," the prime minister said. "We offer a hand of
cooperation but at the same time, however, we state our determination
to defend our territorial rights, as these arise from international
treaties and international law."
Tsipras noted that Greece offered friendship and cooperation toward all
peoples, acting as "a beacon" transmitting the great values of peace,
cooperation, solidarity, and love for fellow human beings. This, he
noted, made the country a pillar of security and stability in a globally
destabilised environment.
He also highlighted the city's future prospects for becoming a hub for
energy, trade and transit goods, saying this future could be built with
"unity and vision" and again stressed that Europe's eastern borders,
from Evros to Kastellorizo, were also those of Greece.
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