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Monday, 23 December 2024
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Athens News Agency: News in English, 08-01-21Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] PM confers with development ministerPM confers with development ministerPrime minister Costas Karamanlis met Monday with development minister Christos Folias. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Folias said that the first chapter in the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project had closed with the signing in Sofia on Friday of the agreement for setting up the international company for the project. The minister said it was a "visionary project", the inception of which began 15 years ago, as an idea, and was adopted by the present government with the prime mnister's strategic choice and its implementatin by his predecessor at the ministry. "Today, we have reached the closing of the first chapter, as the Burgas-Alexandroupolis pipeline now has a company that will materialise it. We are proceeding to the second stage, which is the construction of the pipeline," Folias said, adding that the government's strategic choice for Greece's evolution into a major energy hub in Southeastern Europe was becoming reality. Folias on Friday signed a Shareholders' Agreement for the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline project on behalf of the Greek government in Sofia, Bulgaria. Other signatories of the agreement were the chief executives of the Greek, Bulgarian and Russian enterprises making up the international consortium in charge of the project. <!-- On Sunday, Karamanlis received the teenage "Youth Parliamentary Deputies" participating in the annual Youth Parliament events at his office in Parliament, urging them to continue to struggle for their dreams and ideals.After welcoming them to "the heart of Democracy" and thanking them for their participation in the annual sessions, the Greek prime minister said he listened carefully to their main observations at the plenum and stressed that the institution of the Youth Parliament is of heightened importance.The two-day annual Youth Parliament concluded in Athens on Sunday, with Parliament President Dimitris Sioufas assuring the 300 young parliamentarians from schools throughout Greece, Cyprus and ethnic Greek communities around the world that their positions and statements "will not be lost in the minutes of Parliament", but instead the state will listen to and consider the concerns and observations they raised. Sioufas extended the greetings of all wings of parliament to the young parliamentarians, who he said had been given the opportunity to perceive the principles of Democracy "which functions with freedom but also rules, which are set out in the Rules of Parliament". "You realised the value of dialogue through rules. There is no Democracy without freedom of speech, but also without restrictions for the sake of the other person's freedom", Sioufas said. During a two-day session attended by President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias, Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis, main opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou, Popular Orthodox Rally (LA.OS) leader George Karatzaferis, ministers, deputy ministers and representatives of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), the young MPs expressed their concerns and worries over the major issues of the country, and issues concerning the young people, and also put forward proposals and demanded solutions. Items on the agenda included education, the problem of narcotics, road accidents, unemployment, environmental protection, public administration, woman's position, migration, the health system, the Cyprus issue, and neighbouring EU candidate Turkey's adherence to European standards and principles.Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis--> [02] Int'l con'f on civil serviceInterior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos was the keynote speaker on the opening day of an international conference on training and education in contemporary public administration, organised in Athens by the National Centre of Public Administration and Local Government. The centre falls under the supervision of the interior ministry and was established in 1986 to undertake the modernisation of the Greek public administration based on the European Union standards. Pavlopoulos stated that public administration reform can be achieved with the contribution of public administration officials that are being called to play a leading role in combating red tape through the simplification of administrative procedures to best serve the people. The key points in public administration personnel training and education is the upgrading of studies at the National School of Public Administration and the Local Government School, e-governance and decentralisation. Caption:ANA-MPA file photo of Interior Minister Prokopis Pavlopoulos[03] 'Hearts' adorn AthensSixty large heart-shaped sculptures were placed in scores of locations around Athens on Sunday as part of the outdoor exhibition "Hearts in Athens". The sculptures, are created by a handful of noted and up-and-coming artists for a local charity drive and will remain in place until late March 2008 in the Greek capital. One of the "hearts" stands in front of the Greek parliament. Caption: Hearts in Athens ANA-MPA/Katerina Mavrona.[04] Talks over 'name issue'Talks between the envoys of Greece and the Former Õugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) on the nagging "name issue" commenced in the resort town of Ochrid on Monday under the auspices of UN special mediator Matthew Nimetz.FYROM Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki was present to open the session in the picturesque lake-side town in FYROM's southwest. Nimetz is expected to have a similar meeting with the two negotiators, Amb. Adamantios Vassilakis and Amb. Nikola Dimitrov, in Athens next month. The UN envoy said the Ochrid meeting is the first outside the United Nations' headquarters. Meanwhile, a Skopje government spokesman on Saturday merely noted that his government will reiterate its positions on the "name issue". Nimetz is expected to meet with FYROM's leadership later on Monday in Skopje. Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of UN mediator Matthew Nimetz. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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