Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-03-03

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

CONTENTS

[01] Ambassador Pyatt praises responsible Greek response to 'activity' in Aegean

[02] Andreadis: SETE aims to make Greece one of the world's top 10 tourism destinations

[01] Ambassador Pyatt praises responsible Greek response to 'activity' in Aegean

Regarding on the Cyprus issue, meanwhile, he said the new U.S. administration will continue its efforts for a solution.

Turning to economic affairs and the role of the IMF, the ambassador said that he had not observed any change in the attitude of the new U.S. leadership, expressing U.S. support for growth in Greece.

Pyatt also referred to the importance of transatlantic relations, with emphasis on NATO and bilateral ties. "I want to see Greece play an even greater role as a pillar of regional stability," he added.

"Economic stability and prosperity are important elements of any effort to broaden Greece's role in this region and in Europe. And, therefore, my number one priority is to sustain the U.S. effort to spur growth and support economic recovery in Greece," the ambassador said

"As Greece demonstrates its commitment to reform and builds additional trust with its creditors, I am convinced that new investments, both by foreign investors and domestic ones, will buoy the economy and create new jobs," he added.

Pyatt said that the U.S. government was eager to see U.S. companies expand existing investments and invest in new ventures in Greece.

"One of the things we're working on this year at the Embassy is a road show and a trade mission planned for June in the United States. We are also engaged with the American pharmaceutical industry and the Greek government to support a healthcare investment initiative," he said.

[02] Andreadis: SETE aims to make Greece one of the world's top 10 tourism destinations

"SETE has submitted a road map for the Greece of 2021 to all relevant authorities so that the number of visitors to our country can reach 35 million and revenues 19 to 20 billion euros," he said at the event.

Asked if tourist arrivals would increase if the country left the eurozone, Andreadis said it would be a "disaster" and described this view as "silly".

"If Greece returns to the drachma we will have millions of tourists but Greeks will be [living] in a ghetto, behind a wall that will separate them from the tourist areas, in the logic of the Caribbean. It would be an absolute disaster," he stressed. "Our aim is for visitors and locals to live well together."

He also rejected the view that the bailout programs are responsible for the situation the country is in and said that the problem is the lack of a national plan, the vision.

"Whoever thinks the memorandums are to blame for the situation we're in is deluding his or herself. The memorandums must be implemented to put things in some kind of order," he said, adding that the country needs to look towards the future.

Growth and prosperity will come when Greeks form a vision for tomorrow, he said, adding that the successful implementation of this vision is "in our DNA".

The head of SETE also estimated growth will come from the service sector, noting tourism will help other sectors recover, such as real estate, agricultural production, transport, energy etc.

"Greece will not be saved with the third, fourth or tenth memorandum. It will be saved with a vision," he added.

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