Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 17-03-03

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

CONTENTS

[01] Greece not considering purchase of stealth aircraft, Alt Defence Minister Vitsas says

[02] EU Commission in contact with World Bank for possible loan to Greece, Breidthardt says

[03] My aim is to unite all Greeks to get the country out of the impasse, ND leader Mitsotakis says

[04] Growth will come only through forces of the Greek society

[05] 2,500 children refugees are going to Greek schools

[01] Greece not considering purchase of stealth aircraft, Alt Defence Minister Vitsas says

The minister noted that a single stealth aircraft cost 100 million euros, while this amount had to be multiplied by five to take into account the cost of maintenance and support infrastructure. "Maybe in 2025," Vitsas added.

What was currently underway, the minister said, was a programme to upgrade the present fleet of aircrat and other weapons systems, with a bduget of around 475 million euros a year for about 10 years. A request to this effect has been sent to the U.S. government, he added.

Vitsas explained that there were various scenarios for upgrading the fleet and that the government had requested details about the cost, the time involved and the offset benefits for Greek industry. The reply from the U.S. government was expected at the end of spring, he said.

"There is a necessity, the potential threat to Greece exists - I do not want to overdramatise things but it exists. Therefore, there is a need for defensive protection," he added, pointing out that Greece was in an area of "multiple tensions".

Commenting on the press reports about a possible "incident" involving Turkey in Cyprus' territorial waters, Vitsas said there was no information in support of this and pointed to the denial issued by Cyprus' government.

[02] EU Commission in contact with World Bank for possible loan to Greece, Breidthardt says

"It is true that the Greek authorities have indicated that they would like to implement additional active employment policies and one solution is the World Bank," she said adding that "many of these policies have been implemented in the past" with the support of the Commission.

Greece has already received funds for active labour market policies under the Financial Framework 2014-2020. "We continue to support Greece in its efforts to address social exclusion and reduce youth and long-term unemployment, but also to provide the necessary support for economic recovery," Breidthardt stated, noting that it is still "too early for more details. "

[03] My aim is to unite all Greeks to get the country out of the impasse, ND leader Mitsotakis says

"I believe that we can succeed. Your smile and optimism is the best proof that this country deserves a better future," he said, adding that he is committed to tour all the country in order to talk with the locals and listen about their problems.

[04] Growth will come only through forces of the Greek society

Michalos underlined that Greece is among the top countries in the world in the proportion of graduates of higher education. It has a large number of qualified and ambitious young people, but, as he said unfortunately, many of them, either cannot have access to the domestic banking system, or they choose to test their powers in another country.

That is why the responsibility and obligation of the representatives of business forces of the country is to inform, educate, and setting up the necessary structures in order to help all those with smart business ideas and want to enter the business arena.

In this context, for some time now the Chamber has created the Network of Business Angels. This is an internationally successful institution which has managed to ensure the early stages of an enterprise with the necessary funds.

Business angel networks

As he explained, they are private investors who have equity in small startup businesses at the time of the establishment, offering them the opportunity to take their first steps in the market.

The difference between the "angels" and more "traditional" creditors (banks, investment funds, etc.) it is that they claim fewer guarantees to provide initial capital which usually does not exceed several tens of thousands of euros.

[05] 2,500 children refugees are going to Greek schools

The International Migration Organisation is responsible for the transport of the children from the hosting centers to the schools which also offers the school supplies. 61 school buses carry every day approximately 2,500 children to 94 schools throughout the country. Over 1,000 children were included in the programme in early 2017.

Moreover, a large number of children that live inside and outside hosting centers are attending lessons of non-official education.

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