Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 05-05-13

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From: The Macedonian Press Agency at http://www.mpa.gr and http://www.hri.org/MPA.

CONTENTS

[01] ORDER IN THE PATRIARCHATE

[02] STEP TOWARD THE CONSTRUCTION OF UNDERWATER ROAD ARTERY- METRO

[03] PRINCE CHARLES IN MOUNT ATHOS

[04] THE VIOLENT INCIDENTS AGAINST ETHNIC GREEKS IN TSALKA CONTINUE

[05] THESSALONIKI IS AN ATTRACTIVE DESTINATION FOR RUSSIAN TOURISTS

[01] ORDER IN THE PATRIARCHATE

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis expressed the need to fully restore the disturbed order in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem speaking in Parliament on foreign policy issues. Mr. Karamanlis stated that the government's moves during the crisis were made to protect the Patriarchate's Greek Orthodox character.

The Prime Minister presented in Parliament Greece's strategy based on the triptych: peace, cooperation, development.

Mr. Karamanlis stated that the road opened in Brussels on December 17 for Turkey's EU membership passes through Athens and Nicosia and reiterated that Ankara will be judged constantly while he stressed that the country's position regarding the solution of the FYROM name issue was clear.

Mr. Karamanlis stressed the importance of Greece's cooperation with all neighboring countries and reiterated the Greek support to the EU accession of all countries in the region, while on his visit to Washington he said that bilateral relations are constantly improving.

[02] STEP TOWARD THE CONSTRUCTION OF UNDERWATER ROAD ARTERY- METRO

The joint venture Thermaiki Odos which offered the lowest construction cost and a toll post fee of 0.93 cents has been declared as temporary contractor for the construction of the underwater road artery in Thessaloniki, according to a statement made yesterday by the Ministry of Land Planning, Environment and Public Works.

The project will be completed in 48 months.

The temporary contractor for Thessaloniki's metro will be announced in the summer.

The underwater road artery is a very important project with two traffic lanes per direction linking the western with the eastern part of the city with the Alexander the Great Avenue. The drivers will avoid the city center and this way the huge traffic problems in downtown Thessaloniki will be solved. The project will be 6.5 kms long and 2.5 kms will be tunnels.

[03] PRINCE CHARLES IN MOUNT ATHOS

Britain's Prince Charles is in Vatopedio Monastery in the Monastic Community of Mount Athos in Chalkidiki northern Greece since yesterday.

Prince Charles arrived at Kavala's Alexander the Great Airport and then he went by car to the port of Nea Peramos in Eleftheroupolis. Members of his entourage led him to the yacht Paris and departed for Mount Athos, which is his regular destination in the past few years during that time.

[04] THE VIOLENT INCIDENTS AGAINST ETHNIC GREEKS IN TSALKA CONTINUE

Andrew A. Athens, President of the World Council of Hellenes Abroad has sent a new letter to Mikael Saakashvili, President of the Republic of Georgia regarding issues of security and violation of the human rights of Georgian citizens of Hellenic descent living at the area of Tsalka.

In his letter, Mr. Athens mentions that the incidents of violence against our fellow Hellenes continue to take place, while despite the personal commitment of the Georgian Prime Minister, Zourab Nogaideli during his meeting with SAE President on April 20 in Tbilisi, and the interest shown by the Georgian Minister of Refugees and National Minorities, Ms. Astemirova, no measures have been taken for the protection of the local Hellenic community.

A distinctive example of the situation is the fact that just before Easter the Filipova sisters, ages 70 and 65 were brutally beaten by three armed young men in Keriaki village. On May 10 and 11, three more violent acts by armed men against Hellenes took place in Trialeti, Besaseni and Hantiki villages near Tsalka.

Our fellow Hellenes in Tsalka have been living under conditions of terror, especially for the last two years, resulting from the activities of gangs that murder them, destroy and trespass their properties. The eight murders of Hellenes, among them this of a 19 year old young man, have not been punished encouraging in this way violence exclusively against Georgian citizens of Hellenic descent in Tsalka, Mr. Athens mentions in his letter. Following the successful visit of President Bush in Georgia I believe that such acts blot the picture of a country that wishes to develop further its democratic processes to the benefit of its citizens with the support of the western world.

SAE President also states the given interest of Diaspora Hellenes for Hellenes and their neighbors in Georgia. Through SAE's Medical Program funded by both the US and Greece, more than one million medical services and humanitarian aid have offered to Hellenes and their neighbors regardless of their nationality and/ or religion.

I am hoping for your immediate intervention in order to ensure effective police protection for the citizens of the Hellenic Community in the area of Tsalka and to finalize the procedures for the formation of a committee with the participation of representatives of the Federation of Hellenic Communities of Georgia that will examine the cases of the 2,000 properties that have been illegally occupied. We are at your disposal to contribute to any effort to this direction, states Mr. Athens.

[05] THESSALONIKI IS AN ATTRACTIVE DESTINATION FOR RUSSIAN TOURISTS

Thessaloniki's Prefect Panagiotis Psomiadis issued an invitation to visit Thessaloniki to the Mayor of Moscow and the Russian Minister of Tourism in the meetings that took place in the Moscow City Hall and the Ministry of Tourism within the framework of the visit of a Thessaloniki Prefecture delegation and its participation in the 5th International Travel Fair held in the Russian capital in which Greece is the honored country.

Mr. Psomiadis referred specifically to the option of religious tourism in the wider Thessaloniki region that meets the high interest and demand on behalf of the huge Russian tourist market.

Greek Minister of Tourism Dimitris Avramopoulos, who is heading the Greek delegation, praised bilateral relations and the great potential for further development especially, in the tourist sector.

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