Athens News Agency: News in English, 05-05-27

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

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

CONTENTS

[01] CNA and ANA sign agreement to further boost cooperation

[02] Turkey and Greece team up against breast cancer

[03] Bill on public/private sector joint ventures to be tabled next month

[01] CNA and ANA sign agreement to further boost cooperation

The agreement was signed by the General Director and President of the Board of Directors of the Athens News Agency (ANA) George Tambakopoulos and President of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus News Agency Aristos Aristotelous at the CNA offices in Nicosia.

The agreement entered into force immediately upon its signing and runs until end-2007.

''ANA is very important for us. Our relations and cooperation are close and fraternal and our appreciation enormous'' said Aristotelous, welcoming the delegation of the Athens News Agency.

Tambakopoulos said that the existing cooperation between the two agencies will continue and that the two agencies will sign a more extended agreement when a CNA delegation visits Athens.

After the signing of the agreement the two sides exchanged gifts. Aristotelous offered Tambakopoulos guests a plaque with the logo of CNA and Tambakopoulos offered a ceramic bowl, replica of an ancient scrapbook of the Benaki Museum and a copy of an edition on the history of the Athens News Agency, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

The agreement provides for the right to mutually receive and use the services of the two agencies in English and Greek. At the same time ANA and CNA provide to each other the right of access and use of their respective Data Banks.

Furthermore ANA gives free rein to CNA of its Greek photographic bulletin to be used only in Cyprus and CNA assumes the obligation to cover photographically for ANA important developments in Cyprus for use only in Greece.

Finally ANA will provide to CNA every possible assistance for its technological upgrading, and both agencies will explore the possibility of joint participation in European programmes.

Present at the signing ceremony were also ANA's Managing Director Nikolas Voulelis and former General Director and now Advisor of ANA Andreas Christodoulides, members of the CNA Board of Directors, CNA Director Themis Themistocleous and Chief Editor George Penintaex, as well as ANA correspondent to Cyprus George Leonidas.

At a special ceremony hosted by CNA on Thursday evening, Andreas Christodoulides was honoured for his contribution to the development of Cyprus' national agency.

During the event Christodoulides gave a lecture on the global credibility of the media in the present day and the role of journalists inthe changing world.

Addressing the same event, Cyprus government spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides referred to Christodoulides' active role in the struggle against the Greek junta, which kept him in exile for many years, and praised his contribution in the field of journalism.

Greek Ambassador to Cyprus Christos Panagopoulos, in his address, stressed that cooperation between Greece and Cyprus must constantly

expand in all fields of the society. He also noted that the cooperation between CNA and ANA is a demand which emerges from the needs deriving from the pending national issues.

CNA Chairman of the Board of Directors Aristos Aristotelous noted that ANA assisted CNA in its first steps within the several European and Mediterranean alliances of news agencies.

Director of CNA Themis Themistocleous read the decision of the Board of Directors to honour Andreas Christodoulides and praised his role

in the development of Cyprus' news agency. He also noted that Christodoulides has served as the President of European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA) for two terms, and that he was unanimously elected to to post in his second term.

Government officials, MPs, journalists and members of the Cypriot-born Christodoulides' family also attended the event.

The ANA delegation was received earlier by Cyprus president Tassos Papadopoulos, who briefed them on latest developments in the Cyprus issue, and also met with speaker of the Cyprus House of Representatives (parliament) Demetris Christofias, interior minister Andreas Christou, government spokesman Chrysostomides, and Cyprus Press and Information Office general director Ioannis Solomou.

[02] Turkey and Greece team up against breast cancer

The programme is geared towards training specialist doctors in the prevention of breast cancer.

He said that in order to make diagnosis more accessible, women will be able to receive free breast exams and mammograms.

President of the Turkish Breast Cancer Association Dr. Can Gurbuz stressed the importance of exams and early diagnosis, saying that they were more important than treatment.

The association's honourary member Sukran Celebi and Director of the Ormylia Charity Father Charles S. Anthony, were also present at the press conference.

[03] Bill on public/private sector joint ventures to be tabled next month

Addressing a seminar organised by the UK embassy in Athens, Alogoskoufis stressed that the draft law excluded from joint ventures activities directly related with the state, such as law enforcement, national defence, justice and correctional institutions.

Joint ventures are a new tool that could help the government's work in seeking a more effective improvement of infrastructure projects and offer of services to its citizens. Under the draft law, project budgets could not exceed 200 million euros, private companies would take their part of responsibility in funding and completion of works, while an inter-ministerial commission would be formed to draft government policies in promoting such projects.

The Greek minister congratulated the UK embassy for its initiative to organise the seminar.

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article