Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-09-09

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

CONTENTS

[01] We need to decide ourselves for our region, FM Kotzias says

[02] President Pavlopoulos meets Cyprus President Anastasiades; reiterates Greece's support to Cyprus

[03] Eurogroup chief Dijsselbloem: Greece needs to speed up

[04] Greek inflation remained negative for 42nd successive month in Aug.

[05] Progressive forces must cooperate against the alarming rise of the extreme right, Alt.FM Xydakis says

[01] We need to decide ourselves for our region, FM Kotzias says

The conference was attended by Foreign ministers and other senior officials of European and Arab states.

The Greek Foreign Minister stressed that the aim of the conference was positive actions in the North African region, Southeast Europe and the Middle East and announced that the conference will be held every year.

"Our principle," Kotzias said, "is that we do not want third party intervention in the region. We need to decide ourselves for our region."

Instead, he added, "we want actions for cultural development, combating corruption, for energy, education, transport, migration and refugee flows."

[02] President Pavlopoulos meets Cyprus President Anastasiades; reiterates Greece's support to Cyprus

The meeting focuses on the latest developments and the course of negotiations on the Cyprus issue.

Pavlopoulos reiterated the Greek people's support on the solution of Cyprus issue and underlined that this stance is also Greece's duty that derives from the European Law and the solidarity that should attest the member states and called all EU countries to follow the same attitude towards Cyprus Republic that is a equal member of EU and of the eurozone.

Moreover, Pavlopoulos reiterated Athens' stable position on the solution of the Cyprus issue according to the international law and the European acquis without guarantees and occupation troops on the island.

On his part, Anastasiades expressed Cyprus' people gratitude for Greece's support to the efforts for a solution to the Cyprus issue and noted that Nicosia's aim is a solution that will address both communities concerns and will lead to a state functional and sustainable.

Referring to the course of the negotiations, he expressed reserved optimism and underlined that differences still exist adding that they must overcome the problems otherwise they will not be led to a solution.

Finally, Cyprus' President underlined the need for the establishment of an independent sovereign country and not the change of Cyprus Republic's statehood into a protectorate of any foreign power

[03] Eurogroup chief Dijsselbloem: Greece needs to speed up

Upon his arrival at the Eurogroup meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia, Dijsselbloem said: "I admit that some of the timetables agreed last summer were not absolutely realistic. However, the Greek authorities need to accelerate, no more time can be lost, the excuse of the summer cannot be used any more, we need to speed up because there are important decisions to be taken before the end of the year."

Asked on Eurostat's case, he said that this was an unfortunate moment and the issue has been sent to court. "The credibility of the Greek statistics is very important," he said and added: "(Deputy Finance Minister George) Chouliarakis has made a statement in the Greek Parliament so we have to wait " he concluded.

Meeting the rest of the prior actions in order to disburse the 2.8 billion euro loan sub-tranche is the first topic of the agenda of today's meeting of eurozone Finance Ministers. "I am waiting for the institutions' report as for the implementation of those agreed in July," German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said.

[04] Greek inflation remained negative for 42nd successive month in Aug.

Hellenic Statistical Authority attributed this development to a decline in pricesin food/beverage (-0.6 pct), clothing/footwear (-1.2 pct), housing (-4.2 pct), transport- (-3.3 pct), entertainment (-1.1 pct), education (-1.3 pct), other goods/services (-0.6 pct), and to price increases in alcohol/tobacco (1.8 pct), durable goods (2.1 pct), health (0.3 pct), communications (0.7 pct), hotel/restaurants (1.5 pct).

The consumer price index fell 0.3 pct in August from July, after a 0.4 pct decline recorded in the same period last year. Greece's harmonized inflation grew 0.4 pct in August compared with the same month in 2015, while on a monthly basis, it was unchanged.

[05] Progressive forces must cooperate against the alarming rise of the extreme right, Alt.FM Xydakis says

"We ought to act jointly and to create the conditions that will make democracy and EU founding values attractive to the citizens. The conditions that will give a new meaning to politics for the European citizens," Xydakis underlined noting the need the common actions to be enhanced so that the 'climate created and is depicted through the rise of the extreme-right populism' is reversed.

In this context he referred to the importance of the meeting of EU Ministers responsible for European Affairs in Athens on Saturday, an initiave of the Socialist Ministers for European Affairs underlining that "these meetings are very important for the promotion of progressive ideas and in parallel they cultivate the ground for alliances in our country" he said and expressed the certainty that the last crises proved that the neoliberal dogma has failed as an economic and social model.

"We must urgently change orientation and to put forward political plans and practices for the restitution of our societies' cohesion and for fair growth" he added.

The meeting will focus on the latest developments in EU after the Brexit and the necessary political initiatives towards the upgrading of the Union, the fight against youth unemployment and the protection of labour and the social rights within the framework of fair growth. "We will examine how the progressive forces will cooperate against the alarming rise of the extreme-right," Xydakis stated.

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