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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-03-17Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Teleconference between FinMin Tsakalotos and institutions at 14:30 on FridayFinance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and the representatives of the institutions will hold a teleconference at 14:30 to discuss the pending issues in the negotiation on the second review and ahead of the Eurogroup meeting on Monday.The Greek government aims for an overall agreement (measures, offset measures, mid-term measures for the debt and primary surpluses) at the unofficial Eurogroup meeting on April 7 in Malta. If the institutions decide to postpone the whole procedure after the IMF spring meeting on 21-23 April so that the discussion on the measures for the debt starts at that meeting, then a staff level agreement can be reached on April 7 and an overall agreement in May. [02] Over 1 mln Russian tourists expected to Greece this summerMore Russians have chosen Greece for their holidays this year with pre-bookings having doubled in the first months of the year, according to the results from the International Exhibition MITT 2017 held on March 14-16.According to the Russian Tourist Organisation, the bookings for Greece have risen by at least 20 percent and the number of tourists is expected to exceed 1,000,000. "The encouraging message from Russia is a result of the targeted strategic policy of the tourism ministry which is succesfully implemented by the National Greek Tourist Oganisation (GNTO) and the speeding up of the Schengen visa procedures for Russian citizens wishing to travel to our country," GNTO secretary general Dimitris Tryfonopoulos said. [03] Alt. Citizen Protection Min.Toskas briefs ND spox Kikilias whose name was on booby trapped envelopeNew Democracy (ND) spokesman Vassilis Kikilias met on Friday with Alternate Citizen Protection Minister Nikos Toskas and the head of the Greek police Constantinos Tsouvalas who asked to have a meeting with them after finding out that his name was the sender of the booby trapped envelope exploded at IMF's headquarters in Paris and injured one employee.Kikilias did not make any statements after the meeting, however Toskas said that the meeting was held in a good climate but did not give any further details. Referring to the investigation on the booby trapped envelopes (to German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and to IMF in Paris) Toskas said that the investigation is in full progress and focus on how the envelopes passed through the security control undetected. The Anti-terror squad conducted an investigation at Athens International Airport and questioned all the airport employees responsible for the modern checking machines and all the records without any result. The experts estimate that the booby trapped envelope was not recorded by control machines (latest technology acquired from Germany three months ago), because the quantity of the explosive was very small. The responsibility for the booby trapped envelope to Schaeuble assumed the terror group "Conspiracy of the Cells of Fire" while evidence indicate that the same terror group is responsible for the explosion in IMF. [04] Parliament President Voutsis to ANA: More radical approaches to reforms are needed in EUROME (ANA/Th.Andreadis-Syngelakis) --- Parliament president Nikos Voutsis is in Rome to participate in the extraordinary meeting of EU parliamentary presidents held for the 60-year anniversary from the signing of the Founding Treaty of Rome. Speaking to the Athens Macedonian News Agency on the importance of his presence in the meeting Voutsis said: "Our presence in Rome focuses on the ascertainment that more radical and in depth approaches to the reforms and the re-foundation of the European Union are necessary. To gain a larger democratic legalisation which has shrunk to abolition in the conscience of a large part of the people of Europe as well as in addressing the current economic, institutional, refugees and other matters as issues of international relations. We don't need a superficial approach on how better Europe can become if it continues to exist. An in-depth discussion on the agreements and the EU Treaties should be held with focus on a new architecture that will give an increased democratic legalisation. This is the message we want to give in Rome, as a country that is in a seven-year restrictive memorandum policy and has problems arising from the strategy of extended austerity, but also as a country which is a pole of stability in a sensitive geopolitical region."Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |