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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 15-06-23
CONTENTS
[01] President Pavlopoulos receives Cyprus Parliament president,
reiterates Greek support
[02] FM Kotzias raises issue of migrant care structures at EU council
on migration
[03] New shelter for unaccompanied migrant children opens in Athens
[04] Banknote circulation falls to June 2012 levels, BoG report
[01] President Pavlopoulos receives Cyprus Parliament president,
reiterates Greek support
ANA-MPA -- President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos on
Tuesday received visiting Cyprus House of Representatives President
Yiannakis Omirou at the presidential mansion. In statements afterward,
Pavlopoulos referred to the effort being made by overwhelming majority
of democratic forces in Greece to keep the country in Europe and the
Eurozone, but also to efforts to solve the Cyprus problem.
"In Greece, at this crucial hour, we are waging a battle and
the overwhelming majority of democratic forces are fighting it
together. Despite the various differences there may be, there is a common
struggle for Greece to remain in Europe and the Eurozone," he said.
He noted that after the bitter experience of the memorandums that both
the Greek and Cypriot people had experienced first-hand, Europe and
the eurozone had acquired mechanisms that would allow them to be much
more effective in responding to future crises. Referring to the Cyprus
issue, Pavlopoulos underlined that Greece remained at Cyprus' side,
in spite of the difficulties it is facing, and "is strong enough...to
support you in the effort to resolve the Cyprus problem." The Greek
president also called on Europe to assume its responsibilities, noting
that the existence of a member-state with an occupation was army was
"inconceivable". Omirou thanked him for Greece's steadfast support over
the years to end the Turkish military occupation on Cyprus as well as
his satisfaction with the fact that "Greece has clearly stressed that
it neither accepts, nor desires, nor is willing to participate in a new
framework of guarantees for Cyprus." He called the guarantor powers
of the 1960s a "deep anachronism" and noted that the key to solving
the Cyprus problem was still in Turkey's possession, calling on it to
abandon the outdated and expansionary attitudes of the last 41 years.
On the economic crisis in Greece, Omirou said it was not so much a
Greek as a European issues and "a time of responsibility, chiefly for
the so-called institutions and European collective organs."
[02] FM Kotzias raises issue of migrant care structures at EU council
on migration
ANA-MPA -- Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said on Tuesday there's
an imperative need to address health concerns and care of migrants
arriving in Greece, during a meeting of the EU General Affairs Council
in Luxembourg, which discussed migration, which will be the main subject
of the upcoming European Council.
In his remarks, Kotzias described the difficulties Greece is facing due
to the unprecedented flow of refugees and migrants, at a time of deep
economic crisis and identified three key points that need to be taken
into consideration in the recommendations from the Commission and the
Council for dealing with the problem. First, that all the tools at the
European Union's disposal be used, and mainly the readmission processes
and agreements with the countries to the southeast of Greece, from Turkey
to Pakistan. Second, that there be express reference to the obligatory
nature of internal relocation and resettlement, to avoid lack of clarity.
Finally, that there needs to be a reference to reception facilities
and first reception facilities that will operate in accordance with the
planning, needs and particularities of the state hosting these refugees,
and not on the model of structured border zones.
[03] New shelter for unaccompanied migrant children opens in Athens
ANA-MPA -- Presenting a new centre set up in Athens to house
unaccompanied children that enter Greece as migrants, Alternate Minister
for Migration Policy Tasia Christodoulopoulou on Tuesday praised the
initiative by the Ioannis. S. Latsis Foundation and the non-governmental
organisation 'Praksis'.
At a press conference, Christodoulopoulou said that there were now 18
youngsters housed at the shelter, which has been operating in Athens'
Ano Petralona neighbourhood for roughly a month, while another 99
unaccompanied children were being held in detention centres throughout
Greece because facilities to house them were lacking. The construction
of the shelter was financed by the Latsis Foundation, which has also
undertaken to cover its running costs until the ministry manages to
secure funding from the European Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.
"I think this is a very important and symbolic initiative that must be
mimicked by others, since the state in its current condition depends
greatly on individuals and foundations to finance such structures to help
the children," the minister stressed. She expressed hope that money
will soon be secured from Europe to allow Greece to provide at least
basic conditions of hospitality for refugees, adding that protection of
minors will be a priority. The new centre has the capacity to receive
24 children, who are referred to it from the National Centre for Social
Solidarity on the basis of orders issues by a public prosecutor. It
currently houses 18 boys aged 13 to 17 years old, chiefly from Afghanistan
and Syria.
[04] Banknote circulation falls to June 2012 levels, BoG report
ANA-MPA -- Banknote circulation has fallen to June 2012 levels following
a massive cash withdrawal from bank deposits, a report by the Bank of
Greece said on Tuesday.
The report noted that the biggest part of deposit outflow was in cash. The
central bank said that the value of banknotes in circulation in the
market reached 45.20 billion euros in May, falling to June 2012 levels
(43.3 billion euros) – a period when ECB was sending banknotes to Greece
to help the country overcome its liquidity problems. The report showed
that Greek banks' dependence on the European Central Bank and the ELA
grew to 116.4 billion euros in May, from 112.8 billion a month earlier,
although these figures have changed dramatically because of the extreme
conditions prevailing in the market in the last few days. Funding through
ELA reached 77.6 billion euros in May and borrowing from ECB was 38.8
billion in the same period. However, borrowing through ELA has reached
89 billion euros since the start of June.
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