Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-03-14

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

CONTENTS

[01] Putin, Stanishev arriving in Athens on Wednesday evening

[02] Bakoyannis to visit Italy, US next week

[01] Putin, Stanishev arriving in Athens on Wednesday evening

During his stay in Athens, Putin will be received by President of the Hellenic Republic Karolos Papoulias, who returns from an official visit to Croatia late on Wednesday night, and hold talks with Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, as well as Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev who is also arriving on Wednesday evening at 18:00.

The Russian president is due to land at Athens' 'Eleftherios Venizelos' international airport shortly after 20:00, arriving on a special flight at the airport's VIP lounge where an official reception ceremony will take place.

Ten minutes later he will depart for the restaurant 'Dionysos' in central Athens, where Karamanlis will give an official dinner in honour of Putin and the Bulgarian premier.

A meeting between Putin and Karamanlis is scheduled to take place at the Greek premier's offices on Thursday morning at 10:00, following a meeting between the Greek and Bulgarian prime ministers at 9:00. Afterwards, the two men will make their way to the presidential mansion to witness the signature of the oil pipeline agreement that begins at 11:00 and the subsequent press conference.

The agreement will be signed by Greek Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas, Russia's Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko and Bulgarian Regional Development Minister Asen Gagaouzov.

A half-hour meeting between Putin and President Papoulias will begin at 11:50, after which the Russian president will head for the airport and a bilateral meeting with Stanishev before he boards a special flight to Moscow at 13:30. There will also be a meeting between Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov at the Greek foreign ministry on Thursday morning.

Papoulias will receive the Bulgarian premier at 10:00, shortly before the signing ceremony for the oil pipeline begins at 11:00.

Government, Sioufas on signing of oil pipeline agreement

Thursday's signing in Athens of the trilateral agreement between Greece, Bulgaria and Russia for construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline would put Greece on the international energy map, and close an issue that has been pending for 14 years, alternate government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros said on Wednesday.

He stressed that the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline agreement, coupled with an existing agreement for a Turkey-Greece-Italy natural gas pipeline that goes into effect in June, as well as the recent establishment of the SE Europe Energy Community, were placing Greece on the East-West energy corridor.

Development Minister Dimitris Sioufas stressed that the signature of the agreement was "a historic moment for our country and the Greek people.

"Tomorrow our country will be the centre of interest for the world," Sioufas added, repeating that an issue that had been outstanding for 14 years was coming to a close in the best possible way.

"The importance of this project for all is obvious. For Greece, for its citizens, for our country and for Bulgaria, which through the construction and operation of this pipeline will get onto the global energy map," he said.

Commenting in Brussels, meanwhile, a spokesman for European Commissioner for energy Andris Piebalgs said that it was an important, innovative project that would help reduce the volume of tanker traffic in the busy Bosporus Straits.

Asked whether the initiative undermined EU efforts for a common stance on energy issues toward Russia, the spokesman said it was important that the interested parties (belonging to the Community) spoke with a single voice toward Russia.

Regarding the companies participating in the construction of the pipeline, the spokesman said that these were investments by private investors, on which the Commission could not comment.

[02] Bakoyannis to visit Italy, US next week

Bakoyannis will pay a one-day visit to Rome on Monday, March 19, for talks with Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema, while she will also be received by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, with talks focusing on bilateral affairs and regional issues of common interest, with emphasis on the Balkans and the Middle East, foreign ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos said.

The Greek foreign minister was also due to arrive in New York on the following day (Tuesday, March 20), where she would meet with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, while on Thursday, March 22 she would head to Washington for talks with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other officials.

Koumoutsakos said Bakoyannis' US talks would cover a wide range of issues, with the focus on Kosovo and the Balkans, the FYROM name issue, and developments in the Cyprus issue.

Bakoyannis will also have meetings on Thursday week with US Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) and minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), after which she will attend a lunch in her honour hosted by Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-California).

While in Washington, Bakoyannis will further have meetings with US National Security Advisor Steven Hadley and the US president's Homeland Security advisor Frances Fragos Townsend, with whom she will discuss developments on the visa waiver issue, which Koumoutsakos said was being followed at high level, given that constant progress was being made.

On the following day (March 23), Bakoyannis will take part in a special event at the White House marking Greek National Indepedence Day, which will also be attended by US President George Bush.

Bakoyannis will meet this coming Thursday morning with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. The meeting will coincide with a meeting between President of the Hellenic Republic Karolos Papouliasâ and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Presidential Mansion.

Putin and Lavrov are due to arrive in Athens on Wednesday night for Thursday's signing of the trilateral interstate agreement between Greece, Bulgaria and Russia for construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline.

Bakoyannis will also participate in Thursday's meeting at the Presidential Mansion between Papoulias and Putin, Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, after which the pipeline agreement will be signed.

Later in the day, Bakoyannis will meet visiting Qatar first deputy prime-minister and foreign minister Sheik Hamad bin Jasim bin Jabir al-Thani.

Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis briefing a Parliamentary Committee on foreign policy issues in February.

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