Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-02-04

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

CONTENTS

[01] Finance ministry to hold new meeting with institutions on Friday

[02] Singer Haris Alexiou talks to ANA-MPA Turk about refugees, roots and returns

[03] ELPE, Energean Oil & Gas win gas blocks licences in western Greece

[04] 100 Greeks in 'Borjans list' asked to explain bank deposits

[01] Finance ministry to hold new meeting with institutions on Friday

The meeting will be held at 11.00 (local) and participants are expected to take stock of the first week. The representatives of the institutions are then expected to leave Athens and return after about 10 days to continue the first program review, government sources said.

[02] Singer Haris Alexiou talks to ANA-MPA Turk about refugees, roots and returns

"It is a continuity, a relationship that began more than 20 years ago, when from time to time I give concerts, alone or with Sezen Aksu," she said, noting that she had always felt "at home" in the Turkish city, even on her first visit.

"I had this certainty that, yes, I have lived here, that my ancestors from my mother's side of the family were here," she said, describing her search for the old family home and church and the way Turkish officials had helped her find her roots.

Alexiou, who has a street named after her in Izmir, will be appearing with the band Takim at the Izmir concert hall on Saturday, on the occasion of a visit by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. She said that she "had not thought twice" before accepting the invitation from the Greek community and the Patriarch to perform.

When she first heard that they planned to name a street after her, she said, Alexiou had initially thought it was a joke but it turned out to be perfectly serious. She insisted, however, that this was not what strengthened her bond with the city.

"It simply made me look at this relationship between Greece and Turkey in a different way. Because they realised that I am loved by people there and because I had given some concerts for earthquake victims and worked with Sezen Aksu, they did not forget and it was a gesture of honour and recognition, plus the fact that my origins are from there," she said.

Turning to the issue of refugees, she noted that it had once seemed unreal but 2016 had shown that the same things still apply. "It is something that goes beyond us. In a world that has reached such development, we have landed on Mars, we are planning our life on another planet, at the same time we are living this situation. I don't know where this will lead us," she said.

She also spoke about her own experiences, growing up in a neighbourhood of Asia Minor refugees in Thiva, and the resentment of the locals toward the newcomers. "We are now living it again, seeing others do this in a country where emigration was one its major scourges."

Alexiou is also working to put on a play called "Chirographo" that will be staged at Athens' Neo Theatro Katerina Vasilakou from February 19, which is a sort of of autobiographical musical.

"I wanted to put on a show where I tell stories at the same time as singing. I would like it to be a dream-like performance. To have stories among the songs and to narrate them. For the songs to be a continuation of the stories and the stories the continuation of the songs. Nothing, therefore, could be less contrived than to talk about myself, my own experiences, my own memories..." she says, when asked about the motivation for the play.

Alexiou said the show "dives" into her past, her childhood but not as a biography, more as a series of instants, "the memories that you have and don't know why they are still there." She admitted to feeling nervous about appearing on stage without music, however, pointing out that she was no actor and did not consider herself to have acting talent.

Lastly, she commented positively on the culture ministry's draft law on copyright issues, saying it was the first time there was a "serious" law on copyright that regulates the relationship between the copyright holders and users of music in a just way, providing protection from Internet piracy and the huge revenue losses this causes.

"It is not just ordinary people listening to music; we are dealing with those that trade in music - radio, hotels, clubs - all those venues that depend on music or use music must finally understand that there is a reasonable fee for the copyright owners," she said.

[03] ELPE, Energean Oil & Gas win gas blocks licences in western Greece

According to the announcement, the Arta-Preveza block was awarded to ELPE (Hellenic Petroleum), while the Etoloakarnania block will be granted to oil producer Energean Oil & Gas. Finally, the northwestern Peloponnese block is given to ELPE.

The relevant evaluation committee will now invite the two companies to finalise the agreements, the ministry added.

[04] 100 Greeks in 'Borjans list' asked to explain bank deposits

The list of bank depositors was given to Greek authorities by the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Those investigated by the tax authorities appear to have large discrepancies between their declared income and the amounts found in the bank in the period between 2000 and 2012. If they fail to justify their deposits, they could face charges of tax evasion and money laundering.

"Taxpayers of a medium or even small income in Greece appear to be large depositors; a good or excellent client of Swiss banks abroad," a source involved with the case said.

Among those called to appear before the prosecutors are doctors, lawyers, civil engineers and pensioners from the civil service, as well as one case of an individual who is officially declared as having no profession but has deposits totaling 7 million euros.

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